Though it played a rough first half, missing 14 three-pointers and heading into the break trailing by four, things took a turn for the better in the second. Shots started to fall, particularly from three, and its defensive resilience emerged any time the Wildcats looked to rally back, resulting in a bounceback, 74-66 win for the Bald Eagles.

“A little ugly. A lot of ugly at times to be honest with you. But defensively, I thought we did a good job, especially later in the second half,” said Lock Haven head coach Mike Nestor on the win. “Play hard and good things will happen, that’s what I keep telling them. We’re struggling to shoot the ball right now but I’m hoping a little break here will maybe switch that up.”

An 18-5 run in the second half made all the difference, both in terms of the scoreboard and the palpable momentum it created within Lock Haven’s home gym. Isaiah Stewart made multiple shots, Kevin Coleman converted a three-point play and Bryson Scott capped the run with back-to-back threes, as the Bald Eagles went from a one-point deficit to an eleven-point lead.

Scott’s second three marked the team’s fifth of the half for the team, as it turned a putrid 12.5% shooting clip into a slightly more modest 25%.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Lock Haven forward Kevin Coleman (11) grabs a rebound during the team's matchup against Wilmington at Thomas Fieldhouse on Monday. Lock Haven won 74-66.

“All season long, I think we’ve struggled from three. I would say 75 to 80% of those shots are great looks,” said Nestor. “Guys are just losing confidence for whatever reason. So, the hope is that they find that and build off what we just did in the second-half.”

From there, the Wildcats would fight to get within two scores on multiple occasions, even making it a three-point game with just over a minute to go. But each time they managed to get within striking distance, the Lock Haven either forced a turnover or bad shot.

They’d turn steals on back-to-back defensive possessions into four quick points when Wilmington cut the deficit to back down to five following the Haven’s long run. Kevin Coleman, Idris Ali and Bryson Scott combined for eight blocks through the last 13 minutes.

And when the Wildcats got within one score, they wouldn’t be allowed to score again.

“I thought when it came time to get in a stop after a couple turnovers, I thought we did a good job of clamping down, not going for steals, just staying in front and forcing some tough shots,” said Nestor. “Kevin (Coleman) did a great job just being an acrobat there, I think he had four blocks on the night. When people were getting by, he was ready to help.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Lock Haven guard Eli Washington (3) tries to dribble past a Wilmington defender during the teams' matchup at Thomas Fieldhouse on Monday. Lock Haven won 74-66.

Eli Washington went from scoreless entering the break to Lock Haven’s leading scorer by the end of the night, with Stewart seeing a similar surge out the break, where he scored 13 of his 15 points. Of the team’s 47 points through the second half, that pair combined for 29 of them.

When Wilmington opened the period with a three to go up by seven, they’d combine forces to flip the script. Washington would end his scoring drought with a three-point play to prevent an early run. Then, the pair traded treys, with the second from Washington giving them a lead and closing an early 9-0 run.

Washington turned multiple steals into breakaway layups, scored six straight points to up the team’s lead to 11 with three minutes to go and contributed three of his five assists and all 16 of his points through the final 20 minutes of game time. Each was relatively surefire from the paint and the line and more notably, each was impactful down the stretch.

“That’s just what they do,” said Lock Haven forward Blake Deegan on their second-half showings. “We rely on them. They’re our veteran guys and throughout the year, they’ll just keep getting better and better.”

While their shots weren’t falling in the first, Deegan played a key role in keeping the team competitive early. He’d hit two of his three treys within the period. And on two occasions where he missed one, he was right there for the putback.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Lock Haven guard Isaiah Stewart (12) prepares to put up a shot during the team's matchup against Wilmington at Thomas Fieldhouse on Monday. Lock Haven won 74-66.

On the night, the redshirt-freshman finished with 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals.

“I didn’t really do anything special. My teammates just gave me open looks and I was just making them,” said Deegan on his performance. “That’s kind of been our problem so far this year, but they were dropping.”

With the win, Lock Haven improves to 3-5 on the season and heads into the break with a confidence boost as it looks to get back to .500. It’s had its ups and downs during the early goings of the season, but the team is optimistic that it can work out some of the kinks in the coming weeks.

“I just think we’re improving. Everyone’s improving,” said Deegan. “We’re only going to get better.”

“I think we’ve got to do a lot more drilling, get guys used to getting physical and just keep getting tougher,” said Nestor. “We’re playing hard but we’re struggling a little bit. We’ve just got to reset and come back focued with a better mindset.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Lock Haven forward Blake Deegan (22) prepares to put up a shot during the team's matchup against Wilmington at Thomas Fieldhouse on Monday. Lock Haven won 74-66.

The Bald Eagles return to competition on Friday, Dec. 6, where they’ll look to take home their first PSAC win against Clarion at Thomas Fieldhouse. That game is set for 5 p.m.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Lock Haven forward Gabe Springer (30) gets past Wilmington's Jihad Simpson (5) during the teams' matchup at Thomas Fieldhouse on Monday. Lock Haven won 74-66.