LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Lock Haven (1-0) shot 46.8% from the floor and had four players in double figures as the Bald Eagles men's basketball team ran past visiting Penn State Scranton in the season opener by an 89-52 score on Monday night at Thomas Fieldhouse.

Lock Haven's defense ratcheted up the pressure in the early going and forced 11 Lions miscues to run out to a 29-point halftime lead.

Redshirt junior forward Blake Deegan set the tone early. He hit a 3-pointer and threw down a dunk off a steal in the opening 10 minutes. Deegan finished with 10 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and three blocks.



The two teams battled in the early parts of the contest with the Bald Eagles holding an 18-14 lead with 12:39 to play in the first half. From there, The Haven used a 21-0 run over the next six and change to build a 39-14 advantage with 6:30 to play in the opening stanza.

Lock Haven led by a 49-20 tally at the intermission and shot 50% from long range on 8-of-16 shooting from beyond the arc.

Penn State Scranton's (0-3) offense depended almost entirely on Elijah Bryant, who scored 27 points on 12-of-22 shooting. Lock Haven's defense held the visiting Lions to a 5-of-23 from 3-point range and forced 16 Lions turnovers, which the Bald Eagles turned into 18 points.

Bryant scored seven points in a 10-2 stretch that trimmed the deficit to 73-36 with 11:34 to play, but Lock Haven answered right away and never let it get any closer.

Lock Haven won the battle on the glass 55-30, with 19 offensive rebounds leading to an 11-3 advantage in second-chance points.

Junior forward Chris Cornish pulled down seven rebounds in nine minutes, six of them on the offensive end.

Redshirt freshman forward Deuce Ketner led the Bald Eagles with 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, most of it at the rim. Sophomore guard Mike Green came off the bench and made all four of his 3-point attempts, going 4 of 6 from the floor for 12 points, all in 12 minutes.

Freshman guard Will Spross, playing his first college game, matched Green with a dozen points and added six rebounds and three assists.

Up Next:
Lock Haven is back in action when it travels to Slippery Rock for the Atlantic Region Challenge. The Bald Eagles open the weekend against Bluefield State on Friday, Nov. 13. Opening tip is set for 5 p.m.