WEST CHESTER, Pa. – The Lock Haven University women's basketball team (13-12, 10-10 PSAC East) downed West Chester (8-17, 6-14 PSAC East) 71-60 on Saturday afternoon to clinch a playoff spot in the 2020 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs. This will be the Bald Eagles second consecutive appearance in the PSAC tournament.

The two teams battled hard from the start, exchanging the lead back and forth in the early minutes of the first quarter before the Bald Eagles took over permanently, extending their lead to 19-14 as the period came to a close. Lock Haven continued to power ahead in the second quarter, outscoring the Golden Rams 20-11 as they pushed their lead to 14 points, taking a 39-25 advantage in to the break.
 
The Bald Eagles continued to pour on the points in the third, going up by as much as 17 as they passed the halfway point of the period. A 9-4 run from West Chester closed out the quarter, but LHU held on to a confident 54-42 lead heading in to the final period. The Golden Rams made their best attempt at a comeback in the fourth, going on a 9-0 run in the final minutes to cut Lock Haven's lead to six, but the Bald Eagles held strong to shut down West Chester's offense and secure the 71-60 victory.
 
It was a team effort for the Bald Eagles as five different players recorded in the double digits. Freshman Marena Lonardi (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) led Lock Haven with 17 points, the majority which came from the free throw stripe as Lonardi knocked down 10 of her 12 attempts (.833).
 
Taylor Leidy (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley) added 13 points, going 4-6 from the field, while Bink Redman (York, Pa./William Penn) recorded 12 points to mark her third consecutive game in the double-digits. Leidy and Redman each added six rebounds.
 
Rounding out the double-digit scorers were Rileigh Devine (Etters, Pa./Red Land) with 11 and Jaynelle Robinson (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport (Monroe CC)) who added 10. Robinson tacked on five rebounds to increase her PSAC-leading season total to 241 (9.6/game).
 
Leading the team defensively was Nadia Romanchock (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin), who notched a career-high nine rebounds, all of which were defensive.
 
UP NEXT: LHU returns home next Wednesday, February 26 at 5:30 p.m. to face the East Stroudsburg Warriors in the Bald Eagles final regular season game at home. Wednesday's game will serve as the team's senior night, with a special presentation taking place before the game to honor this year's seniors.