Box Score ERIE, Pa. – The Lock Haven University men's basketball team (4-3, 1-2 PSAC East) used every second of tonight's game to pick up a big road win over PSAC West foe Mercyhurst (4-4, 3-0 PSAC West), 56-55 on the road.
The Haven closed the game on a, 5-0 run and took the lead with just one second remaining to seal the win.
The Bald Eagles played tight with Mercyhurst throughout the first half and LHU trailed by just four, 32-28 at the halftime break.
Mercyhurst pushed its lead to six early in the second half, as the Lakers led, 39-33 with 16:01 to play. The Bald Eagles would not go away however, and played toe-to-toe with the Lakers down the stretch.
With just 1:49 to play, and Lock Haven down, 55-51,
Bootsie Walker (Chester, Pa./Chester) hit a jumper and drew a foul for an old-fashioned three-point play. On the ensuing possession, the Bald Eagles locked down on defensive, as
Kasheef Festus (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) picked up a steal.
After a quick timeout, Walker cut to the hoop and drew another foul, this time converting 1-of-2 free throws which tied the game at, 55-55.
With Mercyhurst attempting to hold for the final shot, Lock Haven continued its stellar defensive play. Walker made his prescence felt with just four seconds left, as he stole the ball and drew a foul with just one second remaining in the game.
Walker stepped to the line and drilled the first free throw, sealing The Haven's first win over Mercyhurst since 2009.
Walker, a freshman, finished with nine points, five rebounds and four steals on the night.
Wali Hepburn (Philadelphia, Pa/Neumann-Goretti) led The Haven with 14 points. He grabbed seven boards, tallied two assists, and blocked a shot in tonight's win.
Festus finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.
Julian Bond (Philadelphia, Pa./ Plymouth Whitemarsh) netted seven points off the bench for LHU.
The Bald Eagles win can be credited to a huge defensive effort in the second half where they held the Lakers to just 28.6% shooting from the field.
Lock Haven is right back in action tomorrow (December 18) as the Bald Eagles round out their Erie road trip with a matchup against Gannon. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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Game Notes
Tonight's game marked the third of four straight road games for The Bald Eagles … Tonight's win marks the first win against Mercyhurst since 2009 … Hepburn leads LHU with 20.6 points per game … Hepburn is third in the conference in points with 144.
