LH men’s basketball topples Wilmington in home opener
LOCK HAVEN, PA – Wilmington (Del.) (1-3) to bring home the win 82-74 on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action in Thomas Fieldhouse.
The Haven started quickly behind some hot early shooting and jumped out to a 17-7 lead on the Wildcats. Wilmington responded midway through the half and cut the Bald Eagles lead to just two at 19-17 with ten minutes to play.
The Haven flexed their muscles over the final minutes of the half and built up a 10-point lead highlighted by a last-second driving layup from Dymir Montague (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) to put LHU ahead 37-27.
Out of halftime, The Haven lit up the scoreboard and stretched ahead by as many as 21 points at the 13-minute mark. The Wildcats, however, refused to go away and came clawing back. They chipped away at the lead and came within three points at 70-67 with just under two minutes to play.
Late in the game, Wilmington sent Eli Washington (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) to the free throw line 12 total times and the Bald Eagles point guard delivered. Washington finished 13-16 from the charity stripe on the game and came up clutch from the line to deliver the 82-74 win for The Haven.
Washington led all scorers on the day with 19 total points on 3-6 from the field. He also added game highs in steals with five and assists with four.
The balanced Haven attack once again saw four players reach double figures as Jayy Davis (Cheltenham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham (Washington Adventist)) tallied 15, James Price (Joppa, Md./Archbishop Curley) added 14 and Justice Shoats (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Redeemer) chipped in 10.
Price added a game-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the year as The Haven outrebounded Wilmington 38-26. Defensively, Davis added a team-best two blocks as the Bald Eagles held Wilmington to 44.6 percent from the field.
The Haven hits the road for one final contest before the Thanksgiving break on Monday (Nov. 21). The Bald Eagles meet Chestnut Hill in a non-conference clash that tips off at 7 p.m.
