KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The LHU men's basketball team (4-7, 1-6 PSAC) was narrowly edged out by the Kutztown Golden Bears (6-7, 4-3 PSAC) on Monday evening as the Bald Eagles fell 73-77 in Lock Haven's first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East matchup of the season.

The Bald Eagles and the Golden Bears were neck-and-neck from the start, routinely overcoming deficits and exchanging the lead back and forth for most of the first half. At the half, the two teams were tied in a 36-36 stalemate after the Bald Eagles evened the score with 49 seconds left in the period.

Lock Haven came out hard in the second half, taking an eight-point lead with 13 minutes left, the largest advantage since the Golden Bears had been up nine points at the beginning of the game. The lead wouldn't hold long, as Kutztown would tie it up at 51 within two minutes, and the back-and-forth resumed once again.

The last lead change would come with just under six minutes in the game, as the Golden Bears went ahead 63-61 and continued to retain the lead for the remainder of the game. Despite staying within just a couple baskets in the final minutes, the Bald Eagles were unable to catch Kutztown, eventually falling 77-71. All in all, the two teams exchanged the lead 17 times.

Jesse McPherson (Philadelphia/Archbishop Carroll) led the Bald Eagles, notching 20 points and three blocks, both season bests for the junior. Christian Kelly (Phoenixville, Pa./Phoenixville) added 15 points while Trevor Lecuona (Frederick, Md./Oakdale) tallied 11. Matt Cerruti (Huntingdon Valley, Pa./Archbishop Wood) rounded out the double-digit scorers for Lock Haven, contributing 10 points to the LHU effort.

UP NEXT: The Bald Eagles return home this Wednesday, Jan. 8 to face the Mansfield University Mounties at Thomas Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.