MADISON, N.J. – Eastern University Men's Basketball erased a 10-point second-half deficit and escaped with a 61-60 MAC-Freedom win at FDU-Florham. The Eagles (14-7, 8-3 MAC Freedom) held the host Devils to seven points over the final ten minutes of the game to earn the win.
How It Happened:
The Devils (5-17, 2-9 MAC Freedom) made 8-of-17 first-half 3-pointers on the way to a 38-31 lead at the intermission. The Eagles worked inside throughout the half but struggled to 13-of-34 shooting.
Michael Bowlers led the Eagles with 10 points.
The Eagles led 2-0 on an inside basket from Bowlers before the Devils answered with a 10-to-0 run to grab early control of the game. The FDU lead was 23-13 before the Eagles put together an 11-to-4 run to close the gap to 27-24 with four minutes to play.
Clifton Adams scored a pair of baskets and
Darius Washington capped the burst with a 3-pointer.
Washington had a 3-pointer to tie the game rim out and the Eagles continued to trail. Devil forward Oliver Ortman made three 3-pointers in the final three minutes of half to answer every Eastern basket.
FDU forward Darren Davy had 15 of his game-high 24 points in the first half.
The Devil lead grew to 45-35 on a pair of Davy free throws three minutes into the second half. Five times over the next seven minutes, the Eagles closed to within four points. On several of those occasions, the Eagles earned stops and had a chance to pull within two. Each time, however, the Devils held their ground and pushed the advantage back to six or seven.
FDU grabbed a 53-47 lead on a Davy jumper with 10:18 on the clock.
Darius Washington hit a tough runner to close the gap to 55-53 before Ortman hit another 3-pointer for a five-point lead with 6:20 to play.
Draig Ruff finished inside to again make it a one-score game. Eastern had three possessions to close the gap further but each time came up empty. The Devils scored with 3:38 to play for a 60-55 edge.
The Eastern defense did not allow another point the rest of the way.
Darius Washington hit a 3-pointer, his fourth of the game, to pull the Eagles with in two points with three minutes to play.
Austin Duncan hit a pair of free throws with a little more than two minutes to play to tie the game. Free throws were not a given. The Eagles were 2-for-2 in the first half before missing their first four free throws of the second half.
The Eagles earned another stop with
Marquise Peel pulling down a tough rebound in traffic. With 1:24 on the clock Bowlers earned a pair of free throws. After missing the first one, the junior post player sunk the second to give the Eagles a 61-60 edge. It was their first lead since the opening minute.
Ruff came up with an enormous block on Davy's attempt for the lead at the other end, but the Eagles could not stretch the lead and the Devils had a final possession without a shot clock for the win.
Out of the timeout, the Eagles took a pair of fouls to force the Devils away from the basket and a final contested 3-pointer rimmed out and
Austin Duncan pulled down his sixth defensive rebound of the game to close out the win.
Bowlers finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Peel also secured a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds. Washington had sixteen points, five rebounds, and four steals. Ruff had six points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
Davy led the Devils with 24 and Ortman finished with 12. The Devils made only 3-of-11 3-pointers in the second half.
Coach McNelley Says:
"We stole that one. We came out really flat to start with and they got good shots and made them. We were able to find a way to get back to our identity in the second half. We want to be a good defensive team that rebounds well. We wound up winning the rebounding battle by 20 in the game and did a much better job contesting shots from the perimeter in the second half."
"Credit to their coaching staff, they are doing the right things, and they are in every game I watch. Without William [Blet] today, we knew it was going to be a big test. We got good contributions off our bench, but it was a battle. We are pleased to get out of here with a win."
"The block by Draig is a game-changer. You can see the athleticism he brings. He has done a great job for us on the boards all year. This league is tough, and you have to be tough to win on the road."
Up Next:
The Eagles host Manhattanville on Saturday. With Misericordia losing to Wilkes today, the Eagles can secure a spot in the MAC Freedom Tournament for the third year in a row with any win or Misericordia loss over the final three games. Manhattanville lost at home to league-leading DeSales this evening.
