A latch assembly comprises an outside housing, a door latch, an external lever handle, a plunger, a resilient member, and a handle cam. The handle cam comprises a cam surface juxtaposed against and in sliding relation with a plunger cam surface. The plunger is maintained in the latched position when the external lever handle is in the retracted position by the resilient member, whereby an entry door cannot be unintentionally shifted from the closed position, and the plunger is displaced from the latched position to the unlatched position when the external lever handle is displaced from the retracted position to the extended position by the cam surface of the handle cam bearing against the plunger cam surface, whereby the entry door is free to be shifted from the closed position to the open position.