ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Basketball earned a fourth-straight MAC Freedom win with a tough 79-69 home win over a Wilkes University Colonel team that handed them a 20-point loss two weeks ago. Austin Duncan led four Eastern players in double-figures with 16 points, but the story of the game for the Eagles was the play of their bench and the defense.

How it Happened:

The Colonels (12-7, 4-4 MAC Freedom) torched the nets from deep in the second half to break open a the game in the contest in Wilkes-Barre. That game was tied 33-33 at the break before Wilkes went 8-of-15 from behind the arc and did not miss a free throw in the second half. The Eagles (12-7, 6-2 MAC Freedom) committed to taking away the dangerous quintet of Wilkes University shooters that hurt them, and forced the Colonels to score by two's instead.

That strategy worked early as the Eagles built a 9-6 lead with all 15 points in the paint.

The Colonels took advantage of an Eastern turnover for a fast-break basket that sparked an 10-0 run. Marcus Robinson hit a pair of 3-pointers in the burst and Head Coach Eric McNelley took a timeout with his team trailing 16-9.

Marquise Peel scored consecutive baskets to trim into the Wilkes lead, but the Colonels still held a 20-17 lead with seven minutes left. The Colonels had a chance to expand that lead with Robinson on the break, but William Blet tracked him down and pounded the lay-up attempt off the glass to start a transition attempt the other way. Darius Washington grabbed the ball and delivered a perfect bounce pass to Brennan Kastens in transition for a dunk. The big finish from the senior reserve got the home crowd into the game and forced a Wilkes time-out.

Kastens had eight points, three assists, and two rebounds in 11 minutes in the first half. He added another hoop in the second half to finish with a career high ten points on 5-of-8 shooting. He also grabbed two rebounds at each end. Peel was also very productive off the bench with nine points and five rebounds. Both players took a charge in the first half.

The Eagles finally tied the game at 24-24 with four and a half minutes to play on a 3-pointer from Duncan.

Wilkes led 31-30 with two minutes to play after Robinson hit his third 3-pointer of the first half. Eastern scored seven of the final nine points of the half to go to the locker room up 37-33. Gabe Perez hit a 3-pointer and Kastens had a pair of baskets in the burst.

Eastern shot 51.7 percent from the floor and held a 19-16 edge on the glass despite very limited minutes from Michael Bowlers who picked up his second foul early in the frame. Robinson led the Colonels with 15 points at the break, but he was the only player in blue to hit a first-half 3-pointer. The rest of the Colonels were 0-for-7 from deep. 

Blet was dominating the early part of the second half. He had six points, five rebounds, and a block in six and a half minutes of action. When he picked up his fourth and fifth foul on a single play with his team up eight points, the Eastern bench would again need to step up.

Wilkes pulled to within four on a Robinson lay-up with 12 minutes left. Bowlers battled for a rebound of his own miss and put in a lay-up to start a 9-0 run that would prove to be decisive. Duncan hit a 3-pointer and Kastens scored on a drive before Duncan capped the burst on a great hustle play by Peel. After Duncan missed on a heave late in the shot clock, Peel grabbed the rebound and found his senior teammate cutting to the basket for an easy shot.

Eastern had a season-high 22 assists in the game. Every Eastern player who saw the floor had at least one assist.

While Wilkes was able to whittle the Eastern lead down to five late, the Eagles were able to make enough free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Eastern struggled to a 13-of-24 effort from the foul line but shot 15-of-29 in both halves from the floor. For the second time in two games, Wilkes did not miss a free throw against the Eagles. Today, however, they only took seven attempts from the line. The Colonels went 3-for-13 from distance in both hlaves.

Robinson led Wilkes with a game-high 27. Tommy Bowen and Mark Mullins each had 12.

Blet finished with 14 points, ten rebounds, and two blocks in 22 minutes, and Bowlers was 4-of--5 from the field and finished with 13 points. Duncan was 4-of-11 from behind the arc.

Up Next:
The Eagles host King's on Wednesday night at 8:00 pm. Eastern beat the Monarchs in Wilkes-Barre at the start of the season.