LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – With her squad trailing by a point with 26 seconds left, Ahnera Parker (Lancaster, Pa./J.P. McCaskey) made a back-door cut and converted a layup to lead Lock Haven University (11-12, 8-11 PSAC) to a 56-55 come-from-behind victory over Shepherd University (18-6, 12-6 PSAC) in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) women's basketball action on Monday evening.
With the win, the Bald Eagles earned a season split with the Rams and extended their winning streak to three games.
Lock Haven opened the scoring when Parker drove the lane and converted a layup to hand the Bald Eagles an early lead. After the LHU score, both teams were scoreless over the next four minutes, before Parker added another layup to keep the Bald Eagles out in front by four points.
The slow start was short lived as the two teams exchanged scores over the final five minutes of the first quarter. Lock Haven led by a 14-13 tally after shooting 53.8% from the floor over the first 10 minutes of action.
Parker posted another layup to open the second quarter as the Bald Eagles extended their lead to three points at a 16-13 margin with 9:29 to play in the first half. Shepherd used a pair of runs to gain the lead, including a 7-0 run to end the first half as the visiting Rams took a 29-21 advantage into the halftime break.
Out of the break, Shepherd rans its lead to 11 points at a 40-29 tally but the Bald Eagles didn't go away without a fight. Brooke Lawyer (Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic) tallied 11 of her game-high 19 points in the third stanza to help Lock Haven trim the Ram's lead to as low as two points, but it was Shepherd leading 49-42 as the game headed to the final frame.
Parker knocked down a trey to start the fourth quarter and Audrey Weigl (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) added a jumper as Lock Haven once again pulled to within two points at a 49-47 tally with 7:49 remaining in regulation.
Lock Haven gained its first lead of the second half when Jackie Fetsko (Marion Center, Pa./Marion Center) knocked in a layup, but the lead was short lived as the Rams responded with a layup of their own to regain the advantage.
Lawyer converted a layup to push the Bald Eagles back ahead, 52-51 with 4:54 to play as the game turned into a back-and-forth affair.
Following the Lawyer conversion, both teams notched layups to setup the finish over the final two minutes of action. Shepherd regained the lead off of a pair of successful free throws, but Lock Haven took the lead back when Parker broke to the hoop and took a Jaynelle Robinson (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport (Monroe CC)) pass and tallied the go-ahead score off of a layup to hand the Bald Eagles a 56-55 lead with 26 ticks left.
Shepherd had a chance at the end but came up short before a Lock Haven turnover gave the Rams the ball back with 7.5 seconds left. Out of a Shepherd timeout, the Rams had a look but couldn't convert as the Bald Eagles picked up the win with a 56-55 victory.
Lawyer led all scorers with 19 points on an 8-of-18 effort from the floor. Parker posted 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds to aid the Lock Haven offensive efforts.
Lock Haven controlled the glass, posting a dominating 51-34 advantage in rebounds with Robinson leading the way with a game-high 16 boards.
Up Next:
The Bald Eagles return to action on Saturday, February 19 when they host West Chester. That game is scheduled to tipoff at 1:00 p.m.
