LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Junior
DaQuan Granberry (Linwood, Pa. / Chichester) posted a game and career-high 27 points and the Lock Haven University men's basketball team (6-7, 3-6 PSAC) was efficient from the floor as the Bald Eagles posted their second straight win with a 71-69 victory over visiting Kutztown University (4-8, 1-5 PSAC) on Wednesday night in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action in Thomas Fieldhouse.
Over the opening 20 minutes of play, Lock Haven was able to gain a pair of multi-possession leads. The Bald Eagles used a Granberry free throw to build a 34-29 advantage with 5:37 to play in the opening half.
Kutztown surged back with five points in a row to knot the game up at 34-34 and edged out the Bald Eagles over the final four and change of the first half to take a 41-39 advantage into the intermission.
In a back-and-forth first stanza, the lead changed a dozen times. Both teams shot 50 percent or better in an efficient first half, but it was Granberry stealing the show over the opening 20 minutes. The Linwood, Pa. native went 8-of-10 from the floor including a 4-of-6 effort from long range to post 21 first-half points.
Granberry kept things going out of the halftime break. The guard knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the game to give the Bald Eagles a 42-41 edge with 18:50 remaining.
The lead continued to change hands over the opening minutes of the second frame before Kutztown was able to build its largest lead to that point of the game at a 53-46 margin with 13:16 to play, forcing a Lock Haven timeout.
Out of the timeout, a
Jesse McPherson (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) jumper and a Granberry trey trimmed the gap to four, but Kutztown had an answer as back-to-back three pointers extended the Golden Bears lead to double figures at a 61-51 score with 10:16 remaining.
Both teams traded scores over the next three minutes, before a pair of
James Price (Joppa, Md./Archbishop Curley) baskets cut the Lock Haven deficit to four points at a 63-59 margin with 6:25 to play. Price opened the spurt with a slam before tallying a layup to bring the Bald Eagles to within four.
After a pair of Kutztown conversions from the charity stripe,
MarkAnthony Fidelis (Largo, Md./DeMatha) rattled off five straight points to bring the Bald Eagles to within a score. Fidelis drilled a jumper from three-point range and followed the trey up with a layup to cut the gap to 65-64 with 4:57 left.
The Largo, Md. native capped off a seven-point stretch over 115 seconds with a layup with 3:44 to play to give Lock Haven its first lead of the second half at a 66-65 score with 3:44 to play.
Both teams exchanged free throws over the next two minutes before a pair of Kutztown free throws knotted the game up at 69-69 with 66 ticks left.
After a pair of turnovers from each team, McPherson went in the lane and converted a hook shot to put Lock Haven back in front by a 71-69 score with six seconds to play.
Kutztown had one more chance as a late foul sent the Golden Bears to the line but the visitors couldn't convert either attempt as Lock Haven completed the comeback and earned a two-point victory.
Granberry led all scorers with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, including a 6-9 from long range. With his efforts, the Linwood, Pa. native has scored 20 or more points in three of four games to start the 2022 portion of the Bald Eagles slate.
Lock Haven won the rebound battle by a 34-30 margin with
Isaiah Stewart (Madison, Wis./Madison La Follette) and
Dymir Montague (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti) each posting six boards in the win. Montague also added seven assists and was joined by
Eli Washington (East Petersburg, Pa./Hempfield) who also dished out seven helpers in 23 minutes of action.
The Bald Eagles finished the night shooting at a 54 percent clip (27-of-50) and converted eight three pointers in the victory.
Up Next:
The Bald Eagles host Shepherd on Saturday, January 22. That game is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff.
