ST. DAVIDS, Pa.- In the annual Battle of Eagle Road game, Eastern Men's Basketball dropped an 89-75 decision to the visiting Cabrini College Cavaliers. The No. 19 Cavaliers shot nearly 55 percent in the first half to build a 50-31 edge in front of a capacity crowd.

The first two Eastern baskets came on long-range attempts from Malcolm Garrison and Jimmie Willis. The Cavaliers, however, had answers, and they built 19-10 lead 6 1/2 minutes into the game.  

Eastern cut the deficit to five on lay-ups from Caleb Knudsen and Shaquan Turk before Cabrini's All-American Aaron Walton-Moss scored five straight points to build the lead again. The junior guard proved to be more than a difficult match for the Eagles. He had 14 points and eight rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting in the first half. 

"He is going to be a bad match-up for a lot of teams," head coach Nate Stewart said after the game. "With him on the floor, their other guys get a lot of good looks, and they were hitting shots." Walton-Moss finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists.

The Cavaliers built their lead with a run early in the second half before the Eagles were able to chip away as the half progressed. Willis led the Eagles with 15 points. He was joined in double-figures by Garrision with 13 and Turk with 10. 

"That's a tough test to start a college career for our freshmen," Stewart related. "We are a young team and we ran into a team that has, at several key positions, been there. Our young guys will learn from this and get better. It was great to see the Eastern community come out to support the team. We appreciate it. We feel that this is going to become an exciting team to watch grow."

Seniors A.J. Picard and Fran Rafferty had 15 and 14 points for the Cavaliers.

The Eagles shot 51.5 percent in the second half and had just 11 turnovers in the game. The Cavaliers held a 41-31 edge on the glass.

Cabrini retains the Eagle Road Trophy. No date has been set for next year's game.

The Eagles (0-1)  host Rosemont College on Thursday night.

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