LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - A big second-half push was not enough for the Lock Haven men's basketball team, as the Bald Eagles fell 73-62 to Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East foe West Chester Saturday afternoon at Thomas Fieldhouse.
Lock Haven is now 7-11 on the season and 3-8 in the PSAC. West Chester improved to 14-4 overall and 8-3 in the conference.
West Chester used a hot start and efficient shooting to build a 38-27 halftime lead, and the Golden Rams never trailed on the way to the road win. Lock Haven matched West Chester 35-35 after the break and trimmed the deficit to as few as six in the second half, but the Bald Eagles could not fully erase the early gap.
Dyllon Scott powered Lock Haven with a game-high 24 points, going 8-of-17 from the floor and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc while adding three rebounds.
Luke Kennevan knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points and three rebounds, and
Dean Coleman-Newsome stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, a team-high six rebounds and a game-high six assists.
Keith Warren chipped in eight points, including a key second-half 3-pointer during Lock Haven's surge, and
Blake Deegan grabbed a team-best eight boards to go with three points and two steals.
The Bald Eagles found their rhythm from long range early, hitting five 3-pointers in the first half to hang around despite West Chester shooting 64 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
After the break, Lock Haven continued to battle behind Scott's scoring and timely plays from Coleman-Newsome and Warren, twice closing the gap to single digits, including 57-51 after a Scott triple with just over nine minutes to play.
West Chester, however, answered each run and sealed the game at the free-throw line down the stretch.
For the game, Lock Haven shot 39 percent from the field and 33 percent from 3-point range, connecting on eight 3-pointers and going 12-of-18 at the stripe. The Bald Eagles were outrebounded 32-22 but held their own on the offensive glass and turned West Chester's miscues into 14 points off turnovers.
Next up for The Haven:
The Bald Eagles remain home and will host Bloomsburg on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Thomas Fieldhouse.
