No. 12 West Chester Lets Late Lead Slip, Falls 89-84 At Lock Haven

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - No. 12-ranked West Chester University men's basketball suffered its second loss of the season, 89-84, at Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opponent Lock Haven University on Wednesday.
 
The lead switched several times throughout the game, but a made jump shot by sophomore center Marcus Littles (Philadelphia, Pa. / Neumann Goretti) had the Golden Rams (14-2 overall, 8-2 PSAC) in the driver's seat up 77-71 with 4:21 left in regulation. However, the Bald Eagles (7-7, 4-6) went on an 18-7 run over the final 4:03.
 
Neither team led by more than seven points in the PSAC East Division showdown. Three Lock Haven Players and two West Chester players scored 20-plus points.
 
WCU freshman Robbie Heath (Whittlesea, Australia / Abington) maintained his PSAC-leading scoring average by dropping a team-high 24 points on Wednesday. He's leading all Division II freshmen at 23.7 points per game. He's scored at least 20 points in 13 of his 15 games played. He also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds against Lock Haven and leads West Chester at 7.9 boards on average this season.
 
Golden Rams sophomore Josh Samec (Trecksow, Pa. / Hazleton Area) added 20 points of his own in the loss. A two-time PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week this season, Samec is tied for the team lead with 35 three-pointers made, leading West Chester by a wide margin with a 47.3 three-point percentage.
 
Freshman guard Malik Slay (Philadelphia, Pa. / Downingtown East) earned his second start of the season and scored six points to go along with early career highs of eight rebounds, seven assists and 27 minutes played.
 
Junior guard Antoine Lewis (New Rochelle, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points, and Littles had 10.
 
West Chester was off to its best start in team history at 13-0 before dropping two of its last three contests. Ranked as high as eighth in Division II as recent as last week, the Golden Rams will try to turn things around on Saturday as they welcome Kutztown University to Hollinger Field House for a 3 p.m. tip-off. Snowfall is expected on Saturday so please stick with us for potential updates on a change of date and/or time for the game against the Golden Bears.