Westwego, La.--Eastern Men's Basketball dropped the second game of the Big Easy Challenge, giving up the lead with seven seconds remaining.
The Eagles fell to the University of Massachusetts-Boston Beacons 61-62 on Thursday afternoon.
After an Eastern turnover with ten seconds left, the Beacons' Quadry Allen drew a foul and sank one-of-two free throws. With seven seconds to get a basket, the Eagles attempted and missed two 3-pointers.
Eagles' coach Nate Stewart pointed out poor shooting and a failure to execute down the stretch as the primary causes for the one-point loss.
Eastern shot 23-for-63 (36.5 percent) and only shot four-for-20 (20 percent) from 3-point range. On a positive note, from the free throw line, the Eagles shot well above their season average, shooting 11-for-12 (91.7 percent).
Stewart speculated that the Beacons' zone defense in the first half may have led the Eagles to settle for outside jump shots. Stewart said the offense did a better job of attacking the zone in the second half.
Eagles' forward Alex Nelson dropped 16 points to lead all scorers. He barely missed earning a double-double as he collected nine rebounds. Nelson leads the Eagles this season in points and rebounds, averaging 17.4 ppg and 8.5 rpg.
Mike Donatoni scored 15 for the Eagles, and Martin Soaries added 12.
Before leaving Louisiana, the Eagles will be participating in a community service project, assisting a local school that has yet to fully recover from Hurricane Katrina by doing some property maintenance. Coach Stewart was excited about the opportunity for his team to work together off the court and give back to the community.
The Eagles are back in action on Jan. 7 for a 2 pm game at Elizabethtown College.
