LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) drilled a clutch corner three and followed it up with a pull-up jumper just seconds later to help West Chester (11-5, 6-4) erase a late second-half deficit and earn a crucial 73-68 victory over Lock Haven (11-4, 7-3) on Wednesday night.
West Chester, who trailed by as many as 12 midway through the first half, erased its first-half deficit with an impressive 25-9 run to close out the first half before eventually holding a nine-point lead early in the second half. Lock Haven stormed back late in the second half and eventually led by four (66-62) with two minutes to play in regulation before closing the game on an 11-2 run thanks in part to a five-point run by Smith, who led the team in scoring with 19 in the victory.
Smith was one of four Golden Rams in double figures in the victory, going 7-of-14 from the field in the win while
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) added 16 of his own to go along with 15 from
Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) and 11 from
Eli Barrett (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg).
For Lock Haven, Jalen Gorham led three players in double figures with 18 points in the setback, shooting an impressive 6-for-8 from the field on the night.
West Chester held a 7-6 lead in the early going following a jumper by Allen, giving him two of his five points in the first five minutes of play before Lock Haven countered with a 17-4 run over the next five minutes to take a 23-11 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Following a West Chester timeout, Smith completed a three-point play to move the score back to 23-14 with under 10 minutes remaining in the opening half. This play sparked an 8-2 run out of the Golden Rams, which included a pair of made three's from McGee and Allen, trimming the deficit to 25-22, with under seven minutes to play.
With under five minutes to play in the first half,
Joshua Walker (Upper Marlboro, Md./Riverdale Baptist) buried a second-chance layup to even the score at 25-25 and complete an impressive comeback, which saw West Chester outscore its guests 14-2 over a five-minute span.
A successful trip to the line by McGee with 4:13 to play in the first half gave West Chester back a 27-25 lead, marking the first lead the team had held since the early part of the first half. A step-back three by Allen with 3:25 to play in the first half gave West Chester its largest lead of the game to that point at 30-25. West Chester would eventually stretch its lead to 36-30 following a made jumper from Allen with 51 seconds to play before carrying a 36-32 lead into the halftime break.
Allen led all scorers in the first half with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a 3-for-6 effort from deep, while McGee added nine of his own as West Chester erased a 12-point first-half deficit to hold its four-point lead entering the halftime break.
Early in the second half, West Chester stretched its lead out to nine points (48-39) after a good layup by
Jamil Manigo (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt). The two sides began trading baskets as West Chester held a slim 53-48 lead with 11:39 to play in regulation. Lock Haven countered with a quick 5-2 run over the next three minutes, trimming the West Chester lead to 55-53 before McGee drained a big corner three with just under 8:30 to play, giving West Chester back a 58-53 lead and prompting a quick Lock Haven timeout.
West Chester extended the lead back to seven (60-53) before Lock Haven countered with a 4-0 run of its own, moving the score back to 60-57 as the second half remained close with less than 5:30 to play in regulation. Lock Haven tied the game back up at 60-60 with a James Price three with 5:17 to play before Allen stepped to the line and knocked down a pair of free throws with just under five minutes to play, giving West Chester the 62-60 lead back.
The 62-60 lead with 4:06 to play would be West Chester's final lead until a three by Smith with 1:53 to play gave West Chester a 67-66 lead and was part of a 5-0 run by Smith, which saw West Chester take a 69-66 lead over its hosts.
Lock Haven was far from done, cutting the WCU lead to 69-68 with 1:12 to play. Lock Haven took a three with 21 seconds to play, which would have given the Bald Eagles a two-point lead late, but the shot was off the mark, which was followed by a rebound by Walker and a Lock Haven foul in an attempt to extend the game. Walker, who had missed a pair earlier in the second half, stepped to the line and sunk both ends of the 1-and-1, giving West Chester a 71-68 lead with 17 seconds to play.
After taking a timeout and in need of a three to force overtime, Lock Haven's shot was off the mark, and the rebound was corralled by PSAC East Athlete of the Week Barrett with four seconds to play. Barrett was fouled on the rebound and hit a pair at the line to give West Chester a 73-68 lead that the Golden Rams would go on to win by. These two late free throws also allowed Barrett to continue his impressive streak of play, which has seen him score in double figures in each of the last six games dating back to the victory over Seton Hill on December 30
th.
West Chester shot 47.4 % (27-of-57) from the field in the win while also shooting 38.1 % (8-for-21) from beyond the arc and 68.8 % (11-of-16) from the line in the victory while its hosts shot 40.0 % (24-of-60) from the field, 21.7 % (5-of-23) from three, and 68.2 % (15-for-22) from the line.
The Golden Rams also ended the game with a 39-33 lead in rebounding, which resulted in a dominant 17-4 advantage in second-chance points. West Chester also finished the game with a 23-8 lead in points off the bench, thanks in large part to the 19 points contributed by Smith in the victory.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon at East Stroudsburg beginning at 3 p.m.
