FEEDERICKSBURG, Va.– Eastern University Men's Basketball battled back from a 12-point halftime deficit to take a lead late, but the host Eagles of the University of Mary Washington (4-0) made a pair of 3-pointers in the final three minutes to emerge with a 66-64 win in the championship game of the Hyatt Place Tip-off Tournament.
William Blet scored 13 of his team-high 18 points in the second half to lead the Eastern rally.
How It Happened:
A 21-10 run over the final 11 minutes of the first half put the hosts up 41-29 at the break.
Out of the intermission, the Eagles (3-2) committed to going inside. The team scored its first 20 points of the second half in the paint or at the foul line. Let made Eastern's first shot of any distance with a mid-range shot to pull the Eagles to within a point at 52-51 with nine minutes to play.
After the host Eagles grew their lead to 59-53,
Gabe Perez hit a 3-pointer on a kick-out pass from Blet to close the gap with five minutes to play. Perez then grabbed a defensive rebound at the other end and scored inside to close the gap again.
After another Eastern stop,
Michael Bowlers gave Eastern the team's only lead of the second half with a strong move inside for a 60-59 lead.
The Eastern lead lasted only a few seconds. The hosts got a 3-pointer from Greg Rowson with two and a half minutes to play and another with two minutes to play after
Clifton Adams split a pair at the foul line.
The Mary Washington lead stood at 66-61 with a minute to play. Blet powered in a three-point play after an offensive rebound from Bowlers. With 35 seconds on the game clock, the Eagles played defense and got the stop they needed when
Draig Ruff looked a 3-pointer and Perez grabbed the rebound. The Eagles were not able to get an equalizer in the last five seconds.
Eastern shot 50 percent from the floor in the game and had a 43-34 edge on the glass. Mary Washington made six more 3-pointers and was slightly better from the foul line.
With the defense collapsing around him, Bowlers was 5-of-9 from the floor with six assists. Blet went 8-of-12 from the floor. He added five rebounds and two blocks. Adams, Ruff, and Perez each scored 11 points in the game.
Rowson led the hosts with 18 points off the bench.
Coach Pruessner Says:
"Once again, playing a team with a contrasting style, our guys did an excellent job of not falling into the temptation of getting in up-tempo style of game. They consistently shoot close to 30 threes per game. Anyone on the floor has a green light to shoot."
"We turned the ball over a few times before the end of the half and they capitalized. To see our guys respond with a run of their own coming out of halftime was encouraging.
"Mike and William both had a great second half performances. They imposed their will at the rim. Gabe gave us a spark in his normal role and in playing some minutes on the wing."
"The bottom line is we came up two points short to a very good team. Missed free throws, offensive rebounds, and turnovers all played a role in a two- point loss. However, that shouldn't overshadow the second-half effort that these guys made tonight. We missed Terron tonight after he got hurt last night. We are hoping to get healthy soon and bring Victor Peña into the mix shortly."
Up Next:
The Eagles head back south on Wednesday night when they play against another guard-heavy offense at Wesley College on Wednesday night. Senior guard Brian Cameron has scored 120 points in his first four games.
