LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Lock Haven women defeated the Millersville Marauders in the first round of the PSAC Playoffs on Wednesday night, 65-51. The Bald Eagles entered the Quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed in the PSAC and were matched up against the No. 4 seed Marauders. Millersville was able to keep the game close, but ended up falling to The Haven.
For Lock Haven, it was Alana Robinson and Jenadia Jordan leading the way, finishing with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Robinson also tacked on a career-high eight blocks and an impressive 13 rebounds. Jordan and Robinson have been two standouts all season for the Bald Eagles, and they did so again when they were needed the most.
“They have carried through a lot of tight games on the offensive end,” Lock Haven coach Jennifer Smith said when asked about her two standout players. “But recently we have been really balanced and a lot of people have stepped up. But we really struggled tonight, and they [Jordan and Robinson] knew they had to step back into the light and put the ball in the basket.”
With the win, the Eagles officially broke the program record for wins in a season with 27.
Wednesday’s matchup marked the third time that the Bald Eagles took on The Ville this season, and the third time they would win by double digits.
While coach Smith did seem happy with her team’s performance in the victory, there certainly were some major concerns. Lock Haven’s standout freshman Rhlyn Rouse seemed overwhelmed in the game, scoring just three points and fouling out of the game. It wasn’t just Rouse who seemed to feel the pressure, as other than Robinson and Jordan, no Bald Eagle achieved double digits in any stat.
While coach Smith was happy with the victory, she made it clear the importance of other players playing better.
“I think this weekend people have to step up, the ball has to be shared, and everybody has to carry their weight. We can’t just depend on those two to put the ball in every time,” coach Smith remarked.
It is clear just how much the Bald Eagles struggled on offense. The Haven shot just 32% from the field and just 30% from three. Notably, however, Lock Haven played great defensively. The Haven held Millersville to just 31% from the field and 20% from beyond-the-arc.
While Millersville cut the lead to single digits multiple times, the adjustments made by coach Smith and her team made sure the Marauders never led in the game. And just as it looked like the game would have a nail-biting finish, Lock Haven finally caught a break in the fourth, going on a 13-5 run at the end of the game to win the game by a comfortable 14 points.
“I think we finally got some flow on offense,” Smith said. “We got our confidence back, and saw some shots go through. Then we dug in on the defensive end and got some stops,” coach Smith added.
NEXT UP:
Lock Haven will need all the confidence it can muster on Saturday when it plays host to the No. 3 seed California (Pa.). The Vulcans are coming off back-to-back tournament wins and will be a tough challenge for the Bald Eagles. Tip-off for the semifinal matchup is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at the Thomas Fieldhouse.
Ryan States is in his 3rd year at Lock Haven University, and his second with the Eagle Eye. He is a Journalism major with intentions to minor in Sports Management. With his never-ending passion for all things sports, he wishes to pursue a career as a sports writer for a major outlet. When not watching sports, he can be found playing video games, hanging out with friends at the REC. Or you can find him helping out in the booth during LHU sporting events. His biggest hope while at Lock Haven is to be able to positively contribute to LHU sports in any way he can.
