ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– In a battle of teams in a three-way tie for first in the MAC Freedom, Eastern University Men's Basketball jumped out to a 17-3 start and held on for a 73-65 win over the visiting Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks. Michael Bowlers poured in 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Eagles.

How It Happened:
The Eagles (10-7, 5-1 MAC Freedom) fell behind 3-0 on a three-point play before reeling off 17-straight points. Sam Gallardo and Victor Peña each made 3-pointers in the six-minute stretch. Game Perez finished the run with a pull-up jumper from the wing.

The Ducks (13-4, 4-2 MAC Freedom) clawed back into the game and pulled within a basket at 21-19 with a little less than four minutes to play. Though the Eagles goosed the lead back to 28-23 on three Draig Ruff free throws in the final seventy seconds, the Ducks had served notice that the game would be a battle.

After their quick start, the Eagles shot only 11-of-27 (40.7%) from the floor in the first half. Bowlers had nine points to lead the Eagles. Spencer Cook had nine to lead the Ducks. Stevens made only 1-of-6 from behind the arc in the opening half.

After cold-shooting from the perimeter in the first half, the two teams traded 3-pointers to start the second half. Clifton Adams put the Eagles up eight on a skip pass from Perez, but Cook had an answer. Peña hit his second 3-pointer of the day before Dylan Walsh answered.

A 13-to-4 Eastern run over a five-minute stretch swelled the Eastern lead to 55-42 with eight minutes left. Ruff capped a run with a put-back basket. Ruff finished with 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting. He added four assists and three blocked shots.

The Eastern lead grew to 14 points on a Perez lay-up with five minutes to play. The Ducks hit three 3-pointers down the stretch and cut the Eastern lead to five before William Blet capped the game with a dunk with 13 seconds on the clock.

Led by 5-of-6 shooting from Bowlers, the Eagles shot 14-of-23 from the floor in the second half. They made 3-of-6 from behind the arc. The Ducks made 7-of-15 long-range efforts in the second half.

Peña had ten points and six rebounds and Perez added 12 and six. Let had eight points, eight rebounds, and two big blocks. The Eagles finished the game with a  40-to-24 edge on the glass.

Cook had 22 points and Kevin Florio added 15.

Coach Pruessner Says:
"The guys knew this was a big game and they responded. We did a great job controlling tempo. We knew they wanted to run and play short possessions. We wanted to play long possessions where we could use our inside advantage."

"Mike was amazing. He didn't miss a shot at Misericordia and was 9-of-11 today. He is coming off the bench and giving us a huge inside presence. Sam Gallardo was really good off the bench for us today. I don't think he had a ton of stats, but he made basketball plays that really helped us keep the lead."

"There was a lot to like in this game. We stayed committed to who we are, and though they shot better than 40 percent from the floor, which we don't like, we controlled the glass and did not give away easy baskets."

"Draig did things on the defensive end of the floor tonight that were just exceptional. His ability to guard the perimeter with length and protect the rim in transition helps us to be able to play our bigs the way we do. He scored some important baskets as well."

Up Next:
The Eagles will host DeSales on Wednesday. The winner of that game will be atop the league at the midpoint of the season. The Bulldogs (12-5, 5-1 MAC Freedom) beat Misericordia today in Center Valley.