West Chester Escapes With 63-59 Victory Over Lock Haven In OT

Box Score

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – West Chester doubled up Lock Haven in overtime en route to a 63-59 overtime victory on the road Wednesday evening to remain in first place in the PSAC East standings.
 
Sophomore Dallas Ely banked in a 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. She finished with a team high 16 points. Kendall Benovy and Serifat Junaid each put up 12 points.
 
"I guess the bank was open tonight," West Chester head coach Deirdre Kane said afterwards. "But, seriously, Lock Haven deserved to win that game. They handled every single type of pressure we threw at them. They really played a great game tonight, I thought."
 
Ely went 3-for-8 from beyond the 3-point arc Wednesday. However, the one that counted most hit off the glass and in with just over one second left in regulation to send the game into the extra session.
 
West Chester (17-6, 12-1 PSAC East) remains one game ahead of Bloomsburg in first place in the Eastern Division standings with that cardiac win while Lock Haven (4-18, 2-10) must find a way to bounce back from a heartbreaking defeat. With the win, the Rams improve to 12-1 in conference play, marking the best start in school history. The 12 wins are the most league victories in a season in which only games against the Eastern Division counted in PSAC play. West Chester won 16 games in 2011-12 when all games against PSAC opponents counted in the league standings.
 
The Golden Rams shot a measly 29.7 percent from the floor (19-for-64) and missed 14 free throws, but still managed to get the game into overtime where the visitor's resilience paid off. West Chester outscored Lock Haven, 8-4, in the extra session, despite hitting just 2 of 7 from the charity stripe.
 
Kane's club made just five baskets in the first 20 minutes, shooting 17.8 percent in the first half. However, the Rams trailed by just four (24-20) heading into the break. That was enough to keep West Chester in the game.
 
Lock Haven was led by Sami Lane's 18 points off the bench. J.J. Hilliard had 10 to lead all Lady Eagles' starters.
 
West Chester returns home Saturday to take on Shippensburg in a PSAC East showdown inside Hollinger Field House. It will be West Chester's annual Play4Kay game. All fans are encouraged to wear pink to the basketball game and take part in plenty of opportunities to support breast cancer research with the chance to win a plethora of great prizes. It will also be Senior Day at Hollinger for both basketball programs.