LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The No. 4 seed Lock Haven University women’s basketball team (15-13) took down the No. 5 seed Warriors of East Stroudsburg University (13-15), 72-65, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) First Round matchup on Monday night in Thomas Fieldhouse.
The game marked the first time The Haven had hosted a PSAC playoff game since February 26, 1991 when the Bald Eagles beat California (Pa.), 93-74. The win tonight for LHU proved historic, as it was also the first playoff win for the program since the 1991 season. With the win the Bald Eagles travel to the No. 1 seed Kutztown on Wednesday for a quarterfinal matchup.
The Haven started strong in the first quarter behind Ahnera Parker (Lancaster, Pa./J.P. McCaskey) who scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in the quarter. The Bald Eagles built up a 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, after holding the Warriors scoreless in the final 3:12 of the quarter.
East Stroudsburg bounced back early and erased the Lock Haven lead in the second quarter tying the game at 18-18 with 6:43 to play in the half. The Haven immediately responded with an 8-0 run of their own sparked by 3-pointers from Nadia Romanchock (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin) and Taylor Leidy (Alexandria, Pa./Juniata Valley). Going into the halftime break, the two sides locked into a tight game with The Haven holding a slight 29-26 lead.
In a fast paced third quarter, the Warriors and Bald Eagles exploded offensively combining for a 40-point quarter. The Warriors looked to pull away with their hot shooting but The Haven kept pace thanks to eight more points from Parker and six from Ayanda McGill-Jefferson (Lancaster, Pa./J.P. McCaskey). East Stroudsburg however took a marginal 49-46 lead into the final quarter.
The Haven took the lead early in the fourth quarter 53-49 when another Romanchock 3-pointer stretched the lead to four and ignited Thomas Fieldhouse. With five minutes remaining Jalyn Shelton-Burleigh (State College, Pa./State College) beat the buzzer on the shot clock and gave the Haven a four-point lead. Rileigh Devine (Etters, Pa./Red Land), held scoreless for the first 35 minutes, would come through in the clutch scoring five quick points, including a huge 3-pointer, to give LHU a 63-57 lead with three minutes to play.
Leidy also came up strong late for Lock Haven hitting four straight from the free throw line to push the lead to 68-63 with one minute remaining. In the final minute, the Bald Eagle defense stood tall and Devine headed to the line with a chance to ice the game. Unfazed, Devine calmly drained both free throws to give the Haven a six-point advantage. The Bald Eagles saw out the final seconds to secure the historic 72-65 win.
The Bald Eagles were paced by fantastic nights from both Parker and Leidy. Parker dominated the paint scoring 21 points and grabbing seven rebounds. The freshman Leidy put up a career night when it mattered most, pouring in 20 huge points, including 11-15 from the free throw stripe. Devine and Romanchock both chipped in 7 points, with all seven from Devine coming in the final five minutes of the game. Romanchock dished out a team-high three assists, and Bink Redman (York, Pa./William Penn) added six points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Up Next: The Bald Eagles will travel to the PSAC East No. 1 seed Kutztown on Wednesday, March 6 for a 7 p.m. quarterfinal contest.
