READING, Pa.– With the return of Victor Peña to the floor for the first time in nearly a year, Eastern University Men's Basketball got a big boost. That boost, however, was not enough as the host Albright College Lions (3-2) made 8-of-11 second-half 3-pointers and pulled away to a 74-60 win.
How It Happened:
The Eagles (3-4) shot only 8-of-20 from the floor, made 4-of-10 free throws, and had 14 first-half turnovers on the way to a 32-21 deficit at the break. A 16-13 edge in rebounds was not enough to overcome the turnovers and below average shooting.
The Albright lead grew to 17 points early in the third.
With Peña in the game, the Eagles cut the deficit to 48-39. After the Eagles answered a three-point play with an inside hoop from
Michael Bowlers, the Lions made 3-pointers on three of four possessions in a 10-to-0 run to build a 20-point lead with six and a half minutes to play.
Draig Ruff answered with a 3-pointer and
Gabe Perez scored four-straight points. After an inside hoop from the hosts, Peña hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to spark a 7-to-0 run to pull the Eagles to within eight points with two and a half minutes left.
To come back from a 20-point deficit, a team needs pretty much everything to go right. At this point, for the Eagles, it stopped going right. The Lions made a lay-up and a 3-pointer and built the lead back to 17 before both teams emptied their benches for the final minute.
Ruff led the Eagles with 14 points.
Clifton Adams and
William Blet added 11. Peña had nine points, six rebounds, and two blocks in his return. The Eagles had a 32-30 edge in rebounds, but the Lions shot nearly 50 percent from the floor and exactly 50 percent from behind the arc. The Eagles made only 3-of-11 from deep.
Coach Pruessner Says:
"We showed a sense of urgency but it was too late. Need to figure out a way to guard the perimeter and take care of the ball better. This is the third or fourth team that has shot close to 50 percent from the three-point line. We have too much length in our line-up to allow that to happen. It was great to have Victor back tonight. He gave us a much needed spark at the second half."
Up Next:
The Eagles have Thanksgiving break and will come back to play Penn State Brandywine at home next Wednesday in their final test before exams.
