LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Spectacular is the only word that can be used to describe the dynamo season that the Lock Haven women’s basketball team had this year. The heights of success they achieved are some that no Bald Eagle basketball fan alive has ever seen.
Head coach Jennifer Smith and her squad tore through the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), en route to a 29-4 season, plus a berth in the PSAC Championship and NCAA division two playoffs. This season also included a 19-game win streak, a perfect regular season home record, being nationally ranked by season’s end, and being crowned the No. 1 seed in the PSAC East.
It’s safe to say that nobody saw this amount of success coming for Lock Haven, certainly not the PSAC voters that picked Lock Haven to finish in sixth place in the east at the beginning of the year. That was a reasonable guess, as that is where they finished the year before. Coach Smith took it as a sign of disrespect, and it seems her players did too.
“When we were picked sixth I was angry,” Smith said, “I was very, very angry. But I think it was the best thing that happened to us, because it gave us fuel throughout the entire season. We were all so angry and we never let it go. We knew that we had to prove them wrong at the end of the season.”
Well, it wouldn’t take long for the voters to regret their picks. As the Lady Eagles started off the year on fire. Losing the first game before winning 19 in a row and blowing past every PSAC school they played. When talking about the streak Coach Smith mentioned how the team handled the success, and how they kept their ultimate goal in view.
“I think mentally we took things one game at a time. This team never got too high, and they never got too low. I contribute a lot of the winning to consistency day in and day out, and the team staying angry. This group is very low key, they were getting a lot of attention with the win streak, and I don’t think they liked it. They just wanted to keep doing their thing and winning games. It was a really cool thing that happened, but it was never the goal we set out to achieve.”
The win streak would come to an end in a game at West Chester on Feb. 3, with a final score of 58-49. This loss, however, seemed to have an almost positive effect on the team. With the pressure of the streak gone, Lock Haven got right back to dominating every team in their way. The Bald Eagles won seven straight to close out the year and clinch the PSAC East title, which meant they would play host to the women’s side of the PSAC playoff bracket. When asked about the experience Smith said how cool an atmosphere it was, and how the tournament went.
“Every year it flips back and forth between the west and the east for who hosts. I had never even looked at it because why would I? But as we built a multiple game lead over West Chester, the goal became to host PSAC’s here at the Fieldhouse. It was really special. Special for the team, special for the school, and special for the town. We gave it our best shot on the court, beating Cal. Pa. in the semifinals was huge. Then it was Gannon, and you know, Gannon is really good at basketball. Two of our four losses on the year were to them and they had the National Player of the Year. So, you got to give them the credit that they deserve.”
Lock Haven’s run in the PSAC playoffs was impressive, notching a 54-51 win over three-seeded California Pa., before falling 80-65 to the Golden Knights in the PSAC Championship. Despite the crushing loss, the Bald Eagles quickly turned their attention to their ultimate goal. The NCAA Playoffs in Erie, Pennsylvania.
“I’ve been telling this team for years,” Smith said, “I want them to play in the NCAA Tournament, it was one of the highlights I had as a player, and I’ve been pushing that to the team.”
It was no secret that the Bald Eagles would make the dance. All they waited for on decision day was who their partner would be. And, in an ironic twist of fate, Lock Haven would again face off against Cal. Pa. Despite the change in scenery for this second playoff matchup between the two, the outcome would remain the same as Lock Haven won 74-60 and would again have to match up against Gannon. Unfortunately, the result would remain the same, as Gannon again sent the Bald Eagles home in a 91-72 victory. And with the loss Lock Haven’s historic season came to a close.
When looking back on what fueled this incredible year, the two names that jump to mind are sophomores Alana Robinson and Jenadia Jordan. Robinson scored an impressive 14 points per game, while also breaking her own record for blocks in a season with 82. Robinson also set the program record for blocks in a career this past season, currently having 135 blocks in just two years. While Robinson was dominate on the defensive end, Jordan was just as impressive on the offensive side. Jordan ended the year averaging 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. Other notable names for Lock Haven were graduate point guard Taylor Leidy, freshman centers Rhlyn Rouse and Madeline Evans, junior guard Olivia Smith, senior guard Brooke Lawyer, and senior forwards Kylie Metzger and Jackie Fetsko.
This year also showed just how many people would turn up to watch a women’s basketball game, as Thomas Fieldhouse was packed for almost every game down the stretch. Women’s sports, and basketball specifically, has a reputation of being “boring” or “sloppy”, but anyone who saw Lock Haven this year quickly realized how untrue that is. Coach Smith talked about what that meant for the sport as a whole.
“Everybody has a mom, a sister, a daughter, a niece that loves sports.” Smith said, “It’s been a battle since the beginning of Title IX. We just need the support and I think people are opening their eyes to it when they are there in person. They’re like wow, these women play hard, they play the right way. I think it is amazing what women’s basketball is doing right now. I have never had another job, this has been my passion since I was eight years old. We are just trying to build up the next generation of female athletes.
Looking ahead it seems there is no reason not to expect similar success next season, as Lock Haven will return many of its key players. While coach Smith is hopeful for repeat success, she also tempered some expectations for 2025.
“I think what we did this year was extremely special and extremely hard. I’ve been trying to talk to the team and most likely we won’t be able to replicate that record again. Can we make a conference championship game again? Yeah. Can we make an NCAA tournament? Yeah. I think we have a window for the next two or three years that we can do that. We want to be successful; we want to play basketball the right way, we want to get good grades. That’s what this program is about.”
It’s safe to say expectations for the program are sky high, and only time will tell if Lock Haven can live up to them. But after the season they had this year, there is no reason to assume they can’t.
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.
