Eastern Men's basketball got 20 points apiece from Danny Miller and Daryl Leegwater as they used a strong inside game to erase a 13-point first-half deficit and stay alive in the PAC Postseason chase. 

The Mighty Macs exploded on a 13-0 run in a two minutes stretch midway through the second period to erase a one point Eastern lead and seize a 25-13 lead. Dan Lepone, Kyle Finklea, and Julius Lopez each connected on three-pointers in the stretch. The visitors kept the lead at 12 until Matt Malloy connected on a tough three point basket on a Derek Wright pass. Malloy then stole a ball and fired a quick pass to fellow senior Joe Manzo for a fast-break basket. Malloy finished the day with a team-high six assists.

Eastern cut the lead to five on a Brent Williams baseline lay-up, and the game was again a contest. Jason Reels scored five straight points on back-to-back baskets inside the three minute mark to tie the game at 35. Miller then broke the tie on an inside basket on an isolation play with two minutes to play. The Eagles built their lead to three points on a pair of David Volpe before Finklea closed the half with a lay-up in traffic to cut the Eastern edge to 40-39.

Miller led the Eagles with eleven points at the intermission, while Finklea seemed to control the game with 13 points and five assists.  Eastern shot 61.5 percent in the first half with 3-7 from behind the arc and only 5-6 from the foul line. The Mighty Macs also connected on 16 field goals, but used ten more shots to reach their total.

The second half was played at a similar pace to the first, but with free throws. With only nine first half fouls total, both teams felt free to step up the level of physical intensity, and the two teams combined for 26 fouls and a total of 40 free throws after the break.  The Eagles continued to work the ball inside, and Leegwater and Miller shot 16 free throws between them as Leegwater exploded for 18 second-half points.

The Eagles held the lead for all but a few second of the second half, but only once, with 1:06 on the clock, extended their lead to five points.The Eagles shot 65% from the field in the second half, and the Mighty Macs shot 64%. In a game with so few missed shots, offensive rebounds loom large. Eastern corralled eight in the second half including a pair of towering snares in traffic from Mike Johnson to give the Eagles extra shots on possessions. 

The Eagles built their largest lead after Reels connected on a put-back of his own miss with 1:50 on the clock to put the Eagles up 82-78. On the ensuing possession at the other end Johsnon blocked a Rob Jones jumper and Reels connected on one of two foul shots to push the Eastern advantage to five.

Jason Hyman scored a three point play almost immediately on a slick pass from Finklea to again cut the deficit to a single basket. After the Eagles missed a pair at the line, a Finklea jumper rolled in and out and Johnson secured the rebound with 15 ticks left ont he clock. After missing the first, Johnson knocked in the second. The Eastern defense stood its ground and Leegwater split a pair to close the game.

Head Coach Matt Nadelhoffer was pleased that his team held on to win a close one. He said, "We showed that we could operate in the area around the basket and make shots. Daryl was outstanding in the second half, and Danny really showed his potential with a great double-double today. We need to shoot better from the line, but I am very pleased with the way we executed several of our sets in a tight game against a very athletic and aggressive team today." He continued, "Finklea was a very tough match up for us all day, and we finally were able to slow him down at the end with some solid defensive stops. We still have work to do, but this was a big one."

Finklea led all scorers with 24. Hyman added 16, Scott Marsden added 15, and Lepone 10 for the Mighty Macs. Reels joined Leegwater and Miller in double figures with 12 for the Eagles. 

The Eagles (11-11, 8-5) remain in the mix for the six PAC playoff spots. At this point, the Eagles are ahead of Neumann, Misericordia and Cabrini in a tie with Gwnedd-Mercy College for third. Cabrini and Misericordia play each other on Saturday. Gwynedd-Mercy has games with Marywood and Centenary coming up on the week before closing at Misericordia. The Eagles finish the year with three straight on the road. They return to action Saturday at Alvernia before a final week that includes a Monday game at Cabrini and a Thursday game against Immacualta.

Saturday's game will be webcast through Alvernia's website.