LH men’s basketball drops home finale to Stroudsburg
LOCK HAVEN, PA – The Lock Haven University men’s basketball team (16-10, 12-9 PSAC) mounted a late comeback against East Stroudsburg University (21-7, 15-7 PSAC), but came up short Wednesday night as the Warriors took the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest, 77-64.
For the opening 17 minutes of the first half, the two teams were deadlocked in a tight conference battle. With 2:57 to play, Jayy Davis (Cheltenham, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham (Washington Adventist)) knocked in a three-pointer which cut the ESU advantage to 24-21. The Warriors then responded with a 13-0 run to end the half and take a commanding 37-21 lead into the break.
Out of halftime, the Bald Eagles slowly chipped away at the lead and drew all the way back to within five points at 51-46 with ten minutes to play. Down the stretch, ESU had an answer for the Bald Eagle attack and staved off the comeback to bring home the important 77-64 win.
The result locks the Bald Eagles into the fifth spot in the PSAC Eastern Division playoff race with one final contest to play. The Haven will face either Millersville or East Stroudsburg in the PSAC First Round on Monday (Feb. 27).
Davis led all scorers with 26 points including 3-6 from beyond the arc. He hauled in six rebounds and also grabbed a steal.
Justice Shoats (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Redeemer) joined Davis in double figures with 16 of his own, and James Price (Joppa, Md./Archbishop Curley) chipped in eight points to go with eight rebounds and four blocks.
On the glass, Jalen Gorham (York, Pa./MacDuffie School (Saint Michael’s)) paced the Bald Eagles with 10, but ESU held a slight 45-43 advantage in rebounding.
Lock Haven closes the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 25) with a road trip to Shippensburg. That contest with the Raiders is set for a 3 p.m. tipoff.
