Late Comeback Sees Men’s Basketball Stun Shepherd in Overtime

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W. Va. – Trailing by nine points with just a minute to play, the Lock Haven men’s basketball team (9-2, 5-1 PSAC) put on the rally of the season to force overtime against Shepherd University (6-6, 3-3 PSAC) and eventually grab a 77-74 win in an exhilarating Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup on Wednesday night.

With the win, The Haven remains locked in a tie atop the Eastern Division standings with East Stroudsburg, who both sit at 5-1 in conference play. The surging Bald Eagles have now won two games in a row and seven out of their last eight.

In what was the PSAC Eastern Division opener for both teams, the first half, along with the entire game, delivered the drama. LHU grabbed the largest lead of the half at 12-4, but Shepherd quickly tightened things up and the two eventually went into the halftime break tied at 28-28.

The second half continued in the same trend as neither side was able to gain any traction to take control of the game, but the final ten minutes of the half provided the fireworks.

With eight minutes left, the Bald Eagles led the Rams 48-45, but Shepherd exploded to take the lead. The Rams rattled off a 12-0 run to take a 57-48 advantage with 5:19 to play.

That 12-0 run propelled the Rams to a seemingly insurmountable down the stretch, and Shepherd led by nine points with just 1:07 to play. That’s when the Bald Eagles put on their rally caps and went on a miraculous run to eventually tie the game at 68-68 thanks to some clutch shooting and a pair of Eli Washington (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) free throws to force overtime.

Riding a wave of momentum into the extra period, Lock Haven opened overtime with a Jalen Gorham (York, Pa./MacDuffie School (Saint Michael’s)) three-pointer to take a 71-68 lead and never looked back. The Haven led by three heading into the final possession, and were able to survive a wild finish to escape with a 77-74 victory on a wild night in West Virginia.

Offensively, Washington was clutch late and paced all scorers with 24 total points. He also hauled in a team-best seven rebounds and handed out three assists.

Dymir Montague (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) and Jalen Gorham (York, Pa./MacDuffie School (Saint Michael’s)) rounded out a trio of Haven scorers in double figures with 16 and 13, respectively. Montague knocked down a game-high four three points and the duo combined for a pair of important three pointers in the Bald Eagle comeback.

The Lock Haven defense was crucial again, and LHU held the Rams to just 37 percent from the field. The Bald Eagles also forced Shepherd into 20 turnovers and just 27 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

The Bald Eagles return home on Saturday (Jan. 4) when they host Bloomsburg in Thomas Fieldhouse. That matchup is set for a 3 p.m. tipoff.