WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Justice Shoats (Wilkes-Barre, Pa./Holy Redeemer) connected on the game-winner with four seconds remaining to lead the Lock Haven men's basketball team to a huge victory over West Chester, 78-77, in a game with major Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) standings implications on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 3).
 
With the victory, Lock Haven (14-6 overall) remains in a two-way tie with Millersville for the second seed in the PSAC East with an impressive 12-3 mark in conference play. West Chester (13-8 overall) falls two games out of second place in the East with a 10-5 conference mark.
 
The Bald Eagles, who already secured a berth to the conference tournament, improve to 7-4 on the road and are now 8-1 against the Eastern Division.
 
Lock Haven doubled the Golden Rams in three-pointers and free throws in the first half and carried a 40-34 advantage coming out of the break.
 
The Bald Eagles led by as much as eight in the second half and a three-point play the old-fashioned way by Harward put Lock Haven up 72-66 with 3:40 to go.
 
West Chester countered with a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 72-71, but back-to-back jumpers by Shoats and Jalen Gorham (York, Pa./Macduffie School) put Lock Haven back up five with one-minute remaining.
 
However, consecutive triples by the Golden Rams gave them their first lead of the half, 77-76, with 35 seconds remaining.
 
On the ensuing Lock Haven possession, a missed three-pointer went in West Chester's favor, but Dyson Harward (Danville, Pa./Danville) secured a clutch offensive rebound to give the Bald Eagles a second look.
 
Coming out of a timeout with four seconds to go, the play drawn up for Shoats proved effective as he sank the game-winner to send Lock Haven to victory.
 
Shoats reached 20 points for the fifth straight game, netting a game-high 23 to go with five assists, two blocks and a steal.
 
Harward had his best game as a Bald Eagle, as he continues to shoot well from deep (3-of-4) and finished with 20 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Mike Knouse (Horsham, Pa./Archbishop Wood) rounded out the Bald Eagles in double figures as he chipped in 10 points and seven rebounds, while knocking down three shots from behind the arch.
 
Lock Haven shot 50 percent from the floor and held the Golden Rams to 41 percent, while also outscoring West Chester 20-11 in points-off-turnovers.
 
The Haven is 10-1 in its last 11 games, and were riding a nine-game winning streak before dropping their first game of the new year on Wednesday.
 
NEXT UP
The Bald Eagles return home to Thomas Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. when they host Kutztown.