Box Score KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Lock Haven University men's basketball team (15-9, 8-6 PSAC East) got off to a fast start and downed host Kutztown University (8-16, 6-8 PSAC East), 91-85 tonight in a pivotal PSAC East matchup.
 
With the win, Lock Haven moves one step closer to securing the No. 4 spot in the PSAC East standings and the rights to host a first-round PSAC playoff contest.
 
The win also helped the Bald Eagles complete the season-sweep of Kutztown and gave The Haven its 15^th win of the season.
 
The 15 wins are the most for the program since Lock Haven went 26-7 in 1989-90.
 
Leading the way tonight for Lock Haven was Wali Hepburn (Philadelphia/Neumann-Goretti), who dropped a game-high 25 points.
 
Both Al Blount Northampton, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) and Kasheef Festus (Philadelphia/Archbishop Carroll) netted 16 points for the Bald Eagles in the win.
 
The 16 points were a career-high for Blount. He was 4-for-5 from three-point range.
 
Hepburn was 7-for-11 from the field and 11-for-14 from the free-throw stripe on the way to his game-high 25 points. He also added seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and a steal on an all-around stellar night.
 
The Bald Eagles shot 54 percent for the game and a total of nine different players reached the score sheet as The Haven's balanced attack proved too much for Kutztown down the stretch.
 
Bootsie Walker (Chester, Pa./Chester) added eight points and five rebounds, while Julian Bond (Philadelphia/Plymouth Whitemarsh) and Theo West (Philadelphia/Kensington) each added seven points.
 
Kutztown had four players' net double figures, including Tracy Peal, who had 18 points.
 
The Bald Eagles got off rapid start and led by as many as 18 with 8:30 left in the first. Kutztown cut the lead to eight at halftime as LHU led 38-30.
 
Lock Haven led by 12 late in the second half, but Kutztown continued to claw its way back into it.
 
The Bald Eagles were sensational at the charity stripe, going 4-for-4 in the final 10 seconds to help secure the hard-fought six-point victory on the road. LHU shot 73 percent from the free-throw line for the game and it proved key in the 91-85 win.
 
Lock Haven returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. at Millersville University.
 
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Game Notes: 
Despite a pair of PSAC East losses last week, the Bald Eagles clinched a PSAC playoff berth for the first time since the 2002-03 season …  For the second time this year, LHU lost in overtime to West Chester (last Wednesday, Feb. 12) and Saturday, LHU was upset at Mansfield. The Bald Eagles have already secured their first winning-season in 21 years (1992-93) … Wali Hepburn, who recently became Lock Haven's 16^th 1,000 point scorer leads LHU with 22.1 points per game … It's the most in the PSAC … Coming into the game, Hepburn was ranked 13^th in Division II in scoring.