Smith secures 200th victory at Lock Haven, Women’s Basketball downs Kutztown on the road

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Jennifer Smith secured her 200th victory as the Lock Haven women’s basketball head coach in the Bald Eagles 60-46 victory at Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division foe Kutztown on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 10.

Smith, who is already the program’s coaching wins leader, secured her 200th victory in her 18th season at the helm of The Haven. Smith now has 224 victories as a collegiate head coach.

The battle between the two PSAC East preseason favorites did not disappoint and featured 12 ties and 20 lead changes over four quarters.

Lock Haven, who was picked to finish first in the East, improved to 8-5 overall and 4-3 in the PSAC, while also improving to 2-0 in the Eastern Division. Kutztown, who was picked to finish second in the East, falls to 7-6 on the season and 3-3 in conference play.

Lock Haven used a dominant second-half defensive effort and a monster day on the glass from its frontcourt to pull away for the road victory.

​Kutztown led 27-24 at halftime after hitting six first-quarter field goals and building a 16-12 edge after one.

However, Lock Haven flipped the game in the third quarter, opening the half with a 16-2 surge in the third period to take a 40-29 lead into the fourth.

In the final quarter, the Bald Eagles answered every Kutztown push, stretching the margin to as many as 16 behind inside finishes from Rhlyn Rouse and timely threes from Nufi Nemale-Djiegoue and Julia Whesper to secure the road win.

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Madeline Evans posted a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, going 8-for-8 at the foul line.

Alana Robinson added 13 points, 14 rebounds, six steals and four assists in 37 minutes of action.

Nemale-Djiegoue scored 12 points on four 3-pointers and Rhlyn Rouse finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.

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Lock Haven won the rebounding battle 50-30 and turned 23 offensive boards into 16 second-chance points. The Bald Eagles forced 19 Kutztown turnovers and converted them into 20 points, while holding the Golden Bears to just 31 percent shooting from the field. Lock Haven went 18-for-24 at the free-throw line (75.0 percent) and limited Kutztown to three made 3-pointers.

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Up Next:

Lock Haven returns to action on Tuesday, Jan. 13 and will host Mansfield for a PSAC East contest at 5:30 p.m. inside Thomas Fieldhouse.