No. 14 LHU Women’s Basketball wins 19th straight game, Smith claims all-time wins record
MILLERSVILLE – A red-hot start led the No. 14 Lock Haven women’s basketball team to its 19th straight victory of the season as it soared past Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) foe Millersville, 66-54, on Wednesday night (Jan. 31).
With the victory, 17th-year head coach Jennifer Smith stands alone as the all-time winningest head coach in Lock Haven Bald Eagles women’s basketball history. The victory is the 162nd for Smith, as she surpasses Frank Scarfo’s (1986-97) previous record of 161.
Smith celebrates the milestone at her alma mater, Millersville (class of 2002), where she spent four years as a standout on the women’s basketball and track and field teams.
Smith has led the Bald Eagles to a No. 14 ranking in the latest D2CSC national pool earlier this week, as The Haven is now winners of a program-record 19 straight games, including a perfect 14-0 mark in the PSAC.
With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Bald Eagles have officially clinched a PSAC postseason berth, and will now have their sites set on locking up the top seed in the Eastern Division, with a four-game lead. The Haven is the lone PSAC school to clinch a playoff berth at this point in the season.
Lock Haven also improves to 9-0 on the road and 8-0 vs. PSAC Eastern Division opponents. Millersville falls to 7-13 overall and 5-9 in conference play.
Rhlyn Rouse (York, Pa./York Tech) was the it-factor off the bench for Lock Haven, as she scored 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while scoring 12 points during the Bald Eagles’ huge first quarter. Rouse added six rebounds.
Bald Eagles’ leading scorer Jenadia Jordan (York, Pa./Linden Hall) powered the offense once again, finishing with a team-high 19 points to go with seven rebounds and two blocks.
Carly Fitzmorris (Hamburg, N.J./Pope John XXIII) continued her run of hot shooting as she knocked down a pair of three pointers and chipped in a team-high five assists.
Jackie Fetsko (Marion Center, Pa./Marion Center) cleaned up the glass with a team-high 10 rebounds.
After a 5-0 run to start the first quarter by Millersville, the Bald Eagles did not give up another point and closed out the period by outscoring the Marauders 27-0.
Lock Haven could do no wrong on the offensive end, as it shot a scorching 12-of-15 during the run, including going a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arch. The Bald Eagles shot 71 percent from the floor in the period.
Rouse was the driving force as she finished the first quarter with 12 points, while Smith and Jordan each chipped in five.
The Marauders picked up momentum by outscoring the Bald Eagles by one in the second period, before erupting on a dominant 21-8 run in the third quarter to get back in the game.
However, the Bald Eagles ramped the defense back up in the final period and held the Marauders to 32 percent from the field, while outscoring them 18-14 to put the game away. The Haven made over 50 percent of its shots in the final quarter, while knocking down 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch.
NEXT UP
The Bald Eagles return to the court on Saturday, Jan. 31 when they travel to West Chester for a battle of first- and second-place teams in the PSAC East.
