LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Gritty play, timely scoring and a dominant effort from the second unit led the Lock Haven men's basketball team to a 106-98 victory in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) double-overtime thriller on Wednesday night (Jan. 22) inside Thomas Fieldhouse.
LaQuan Byrd made the layup to send the game to overtime and
Idris Ali checked in on a free throw to grab the game-clinching offensive rebound. In a game that featured two overtimes, it was those two plays made from two players that came off the bench that defined the Bald Eagles' hard-fought victory over Shippensburg.
With the victory, The Haven improves to 8-9 overall and 5-6 in the PSAC. Shippensburg falls to 6-12 on the season and 4-8 in conference play.
Lock Haven, who improved to 6-1 on the year in front of the home crowd, gains control of fifth place in the PSAC East.
The Bald Eagles' 106 points is the program's highest total since scoring 108 points against Bloomsburg in 2023.
In the second half, both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor through the opening nine minutes and the game was deadlocked at a 59-59 tie.
However, Shippensburg used a 14-5 run over the span of six minutes to build a 73-66 lead with 4:38 to go.
Lock Haven cut the deficit to one score three times over the next four minutes and trailed 78-75 with the ball and 30 seconds remaining.
After a Bald Eagle midrange jumper trickled off the rim, Byrd tipped in the rebound and converted a three-point play the old-fashion way to knot the game at 78-78 and force overtime.
In the first overtime, Shippensburg led by as much as four, but the Bald Eagles refused to go away and a pair of successful free throws by
Dyllon Scott put Lock Haven on top, 91-89, with 35 seconds to go.
However, the Raiders tipped in a layup in the closing seconds to force another overtime.
Shippensburg took a 96-95 lead with 2:27 remaining in the second overtime, but the Bald Eagles outscored the Raiders 7-2 the rest of the way, including a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach in the closing seconds following the offensive rebound by Ali.
The Bald Eagles knocked down 12 free throws in the two overtimes and held Shippensburg to 27 percent from the floor in the second overtime.
Isaiah Stewart finished with a game-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, while also dishing out a game-high eight assists to lead the Bald Eagles on offense.
Eli Washington and D. Scott both finished with 18 points, while Washington dished out five assists and Scott grabbed six rebounds.
Byrd netted a career-best 17 points and pulled in seven rebounds in an electric 33 minutes off the bench.
Kevin Coleman recorded his fourth double-double of the season as he finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Ali did the majority of his damage at the charity stripe, finishing with eight points on 6-of-6 makes at the foul line.
Next up for The Haven:
The Bald Eagles remain home and will host PSAC Eastern Division foe Millersville on Saturday (Jan. 25) at 3 p.m. inside Thomas Fieldhouse.
