ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Basketball picked up an important mid-season home win over the two-time defending MAC Freedom Champion Misericordia University Cougars. William Blet posted 20 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks to lead the Eagles to a 75-67 win.

How It Happened:
The Eagles (9-7, 3-2 MAC Freedom) jumped out to a 10-2 lead with each of the five starters scoring a basket. The edge grew to 22-9 with eight and a half minutes to go on a finish by Marquise Peel on a good pass from the post by Michael Bowlers.

The Cougars (9-7, 2-3 MAC Freedom) responded with a 9-0 run to close the gap to 22-18. Jason Kenny and Tony Harding each had a pair of baskets in the burst. Eastern stopped the bleeding metaphorically, but opened up a cut on the next play when Darius Washington took a hit above the eye on a 3-pointer. Washington hit the first free throw before the officials saw the blood and sent him to the corner to close up the wound. Gabe Perez came on to split the free throws.

The Cougars would eventually tie the game at 30-30 with three and a half minutes to play. Austin Duncan sparked a 7-0 burst to close the half with two inside baskets. The first came off a good feed from Peel and the second on a strong drive on the baseline. Draig Ruff capped the first-half scoring with a 3-pointer on a pass from Washington, who returned with a sizable bandage above his eye.

Blet had 11 points and Ruff had ten to pace the Eagles at the break. Kenny and Harding had 14 and nine to lead the Cougars. Eastern took only four 3-pointers in the first half and hit two of them. The Cougars were 3-of-13 from deep.

Washington opened the second half with a 3-pointer and the Eastern lead grew to 46-32 on a strong move inside from Bowlers. The 14-point edge, however, would not last as Harding and Kenny again put together a strong run, this time it was a 13-to-2 burst, to cut the Eagles lead to 50-47 and force an Eastern timerout.

Out of the timeout, Peel made a great cut to the hoop for a quick basket, and though the Cougars answered with hoop on the other end, the Eagles took the punch, and found their balance. Washington and Duncan hit 3-pointers on either side of a Noah Rivera hoop to bump the lead back to seven closing in on the midpoint of the second half.

The Cougars cut the Eastern lead to four points twice more in the second half, but each time the Eagles had an answer. Washington was 7-of-7 from the line with 13 points after halftime. The senior guard finished with 16 points, four assists, and two steals. Ruff, who played a critical role in the defensive adjustments for the game, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds. Duncan had 11.

Kenny led all scorers in the game with 27 and Harding added 16. Iton and Rivera had 13 and nine points.

Coach McNelley Says:
"William [Blet] had probably his most consistent game tonight. He was good at both ends of the floor and locked in on every possession. He has had several good practices in a row and it showed tonight. He is starting to see how playing off Michael can work for him on offense. He had some big blocks in some key moments inside, and he was also really good about walling up when that was the right play."

"This is a big win. While they are not in first, they are the team to beat. They have a veteran group, and [Jason] Kenny who can score in so many ways. Willie [Chandler] does a great job with their group and they are going to be tough to beat everytime out."

"We continued to emphasize getting the ball into the post and working from there. Michael did not get to the foul line, but we were able to get good looks off his touches and I thought we did a nice job on the offensive glass."

"Marquise made some huge plays for us off the bench. Six points and five rebounds means a lot in a tight game. As important he has jumped into a role as a battery for this team. He gives us energy."

Up Next:
The Eagles will make the trip to Purchase, N.Y. to take on Manhattanville College on Saturday. The Valiants fell at DeSales tonight, but Kennedy Gymnasium is a notoriously difficult place to play. That game will begin at 3 pm.