ST. DAVIDS, Pa.-- Rivalry games are almost never pretty. Eastern University Women's Basketball needed an 11-0 run midway through he second half to escape with a hard-fought home win over local rival Cabrini College. Megan Nowak finished with 28 and Bekah Roalnd added 20 points and 13 rebounds to lift the Eagles over their Eagle Rd. neighbors.

The first half saw both teams piece together big runs. After Cabrini (7-13) jumped to a 5-0 lead on the first two possessions, the Eagles reeled off 15 unanswered points to grab a 15-5 lead. Roland scored nine points in the run. The Cavaliers, however, answered with a 15-2 run of their own to take a 20-17 lead with just under eight minutes remaining in the first half. 

Both teams went cold for the final eight minutes, but the Eagles (15-5) were able to get inside baskets from Roland, Nowak, and Katie Lincoln to close out the half with a 23-22 edge.

The Eagles made just 33 percent of their first half shots and the Cavaliers scuffled to 31.4 percent. The Cavaliers held a 23-21 advantage on the glass and converted three shots from distance. The Eagles had only four first-half turnovers compared to ten for the guests. Roland had 13 points at the break. Amber Keys led Cabrini with seven.

Nowak, who had only six points at the break, began to see more of the ball in the second half, and the freshman forward began to take command of the game.

While Nowak and Roland were responsible for the bulk of Eastern's scoring, several other players scored big baskets in critical moments. Kaleigh Boreman converted a put-back attempt to put the Eagles up 34-32. Lincoln scored a tough transition basket in the middle of the critical 11-0 run to put the Eagles up 42-37. Nowak capped that spurt with her only 3-pointer of the game. Nowak has made exactly one 3-pointer in each of the last five games.

Cabrini's Brittany Sandone answered with a 3-pointer and Colleen Stewart cut the deficit back to five with an inside basket, but the Eagles responded with six straight. Nowak scored the first hoop in the sequence on a clever assist from fellow first-year Kaitlyn Dougherty. Dougherty, who finished with seven points, delivered a dagger with a 3-pointer late in the shot clock to give the Eagles a 13 point edge with three minutes to play.

Roland's 26th career double-double included several critical rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Nowak finished 9-for-9 from the foul line and grabbed nine rebounds. Lincoln finished with five assists, five rebounds, and six steals in 39 minutes of action. Sandone finished with 13 to lead the Cavaliers.

The Eagles will have very little time to recover as they will host Freedom-leading King's in a critical Freedom Conference contest Wednesday night.