LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – A gritty Lock Haven University men's basketball team (4-7, 1-6 PSAC) clawed back to within a point late in the second half but couldn't overcome No. 10 Indiana University of Pa. (12-1, 5-1 PSAC) and fell by a 79-72 tally on Saturday afternoon in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) men's basketball affair in Thomas Fieldhouse.
 
Lock Haven got on the board first with a MarkAnthony Fidelis (Largo, Md./DeMatha) jumper to take a 2-0 lead over the visiting Crimson Hawks. IUP responded in a hurry with the game's next seven points and owned a 7-2 advantage with 16:39 to play in the first half.
 
After the early surge, both teams traded scores over the middle section of the opening frame before the Crimson Hawks used a 15-8 run to close out the first half with a 41-27 advantage.
 
Out of the halftime break, IUP pushed its lead to as high as 15 points before Lock Haven clawed back. Forward Jesse McPherson (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) powered in a layup to open up an 11-2 Bald Eagles run to cut the IUP lead to 47-41 just minutes into the half.
 
After the Lock Haven surge, IUP responded with one of its own. The Crimson Hawks rattled off 12 straight points and opened up a 13-point lead with 5:21 to play.
 
Lock Haven followed up with another surge to trim the deficit back to single digits. Eli Washington (East Petersburg, Pa./Hempfield) buried a jumper in the lane and a quick turnover and ensuing dunk from DaQuan Granberry (Linwood, Pa./Chichester) brought the IUP lead to 69-61 with 3:54 remaining.
 
The Bald Eagles clawed back to within a score at a 75-72 tally with a Fidelis trey but it wasn't enough as the Crimson Hawks held off the late Lock Haven rally to leave with a 79-72 victory.
 
Fidelis led the Bald Eagles offense with a team-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting. The Largo, Md. native also went 4-of-5 from three-point range. McPherson added 16 points on an efficient 6-of-8 shooting effort.
 
Up Next:
The Bald Eagles are back in action on Monday, January 10 when they travel to Mansfield. Tip-off against the Mounties is set for 7:30 p.m.