Box Score
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Chris VonTanhausen's desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short as host Lock Haven hung on to defeat West Chester, 70-68, Wednesday evening in a non-league men's basketball game inside Thomas Fieldhouse.
The Golden Rams (4-2) saw their four-game winning streak come to a close, but not before mounting a brilliant comeback in the second half to close to within one in the final seconds.
Lock Haven (2-4) got a wide open layup underneath the basket off an inbounds play with 3.1 seconds left for what proved to be the game-winner. West Chester's ensuing inbounds pass up to mid-court was slapped out of bounds by the Bald Eagles, and the Rams set up for one final attempt.
With just 1.9 ticks showing on the clock, West Chester tossed the ball down into the near left corner where VonTanhausen launched a 3-point attempt as the horn sounded.
A 3-pointer by Anthony Haley with 30 seconds left pulled West Chester even, 68-all, setting the stage for the dramatic conclusion. Lock Haven benefitted from a fortunate call to gain a timeout with 9.5 seconds left as players from both sides were tangled on the floor fighting for a loose ball. The officials ruled that Lock Haven had possession long enough for a timeout to be issued instead of a jump ball.
With 4.7 seconds left, the Eagles called timeout again to set up their inbounds play under the Rams' basket. That is when Christian Warren was left all alone and banked in the gimmie layup.
West Chester trailed by 14 at the half, but went to work chipping away at the lead. With 6:40 remaining, the Golden Rams had cut the lead to four. Sandy Tanner hit a runner in the lane and was fouled. The freshman nailed the free throw to draw the visitors within one, 57-56.
A foul shot by Kevin Stokes made it 57-57 with 4:51 to play. But, West Chester could never take the lead the rest of the way. The Rams always seemed on the brink of breaking through and gaining a lead, but it was not to be.
Ralph Hegamin scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. St. George and Tanner each netted 10 points in the loss.
Billy Arre led all scorers in the game with 26 points. He broke the school's all-time scoring record with his performance on Wednesday.
West Chester is now off for final exams the next two weeks and will return to action on Dec. 20 when it hosts Goldey-Beacom in another non-conference tilt.
