Everyone who attended the first official "Battle of Eagle Road" got more than their money's worth. In a game with 19 lead-changes and 11 ties, the host Cabrini Cavaliers finally prevailed 92-88 after 50 minutes of nail-biting action. The Cavaliers (16-5) will hold the Eagle Road sign until the two teams meet again next January.

For the first time, the two neighboring schools met as non-conference opponents. With only one meeting this year and both teams surging towards playoff spots in their respective conferences, the game carried a play off intensity from before the opening tap. The Eastern faithful traveled across the street and provided at least half of the capacity crowd in Nerney Field House. 

The Eagles jumped to an 11-6 lead early, but the Cavaliers responded with three straight baskets to reclaim the lead with 12:37 to play in the first half. The opening eight minutes seemed to indicate a game that was going to finish in the 60's, but then the game shifted gears quickly. Corey White hit a three to give the hosts a four point edge. Tyrik Tucker then answered with a three-point play in transition to spark a 7-0 Eastern run. 

Cabrini's sophomore sharpshooter Glenn Washington delivered his only basket of the first half, a long three pointer, to tie the contest at 18 with 9:16 on the clock. Eastern would surge to a 7-1 run on lay-ups from Carlos Pujols and Jason Reels around a Derek Wright three pointer. The Cavaliers quickly answered with Ryan Oxley three pointer, and managed to forge a 30-30 tie at the break.

The Eagles went to the locker room tied despite holding Cabrini's high-scoring tandem of Washington and Kevin Misevicius to just three points before the break. Tucker led all scorers with ten points at half. 

The second half began with the Eagles looking inside to their post players and finding some success. Eastern was able to scrape together a 45-40 lead after eight minutes, but the Cavaliers were beginning to heat up offensively, and Misevicius started to assert himself at the offensive end. The junior forward scored eight  points in a three minute stretch to help the hosts to a 15-4 run and a six point edge.

Tucker again provided an answer for the visitors with a steal and a three point play to close the gap to 55-52.  The first year forward spent much of the day defending on the perimeter to try to limit the effectiveness of Cabrni point guard Charles Bush. The Eagles then scored the next six points to seize a three point edge. For the remainder of regulation and through the first overtime, the game remained as a one possession game. 

Reels gave the Eagles a 62-61 lead with three minutes to play, but Washington answered with a three to give the Cavaliers the lead. The Eagles fell short in their attempt to tie, and surrendered an offensive rebound on the ensuing possession, but a Don Kaiser block gave the Eagles the stop they needed, and Reels hit a 12 foot fade-away to send the game to overtime.

The first four minutes of the first overtime went back and forth. Senior Ty Coleman connected on a reverse lay-up in traffic  to give Eastern a 73-72 lead with 44 seconds to play. The Eagles earned the stop and were able to get the ball in Soaries hands on the inbounds play. The freshman guard calmly sunk both foul shots, he was 9-9 from the line on the day to give the Eagles a three point lead with 14 seconds left. 

Washington got just a little room at 23 feet and connected on his fourth triple of the day to send the game to a second overtime. Cabrini earned a couple stops early in the period and forged a quick six point lead. The Eagles battled valiantly to close the gap, but the Cavaliers hit their free throws to earn the 92-88 win.

Eastern Associate Head coach Ryan Livingston said of the game, "They are a very good offensive team, and Glenn Washington just hit big shots. We played him tough throughout the game, but that shot at the end of the first overtime was a dagger.  It was a great environment for a game, and it was good for our guys to to see the community behind them. We need to continue to grow in how we handle late-game situations, and we got a lot of work on it today. Credit goes to Cabrini for winning."

Misevicius led all scorers with 24 points. Four other Cabrini players hit double figures as Dom Farrello connected for 20 and Washington had 14. Tucker led the Eagles with 20 and Soaries added 19. Reels finished with 17 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.

The Eagles return to Freedom Conference play when they host Delaware Valley College on Wednesday night. Eastern would clinch a playoff spot with a win on Wednesday.