ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – Eastern University Men's Basketball clinched a spot in the upcoming MAC Freedom tournament with a hard-fought 69-64 home win over the Delaware Valley University Aggies. William Blet scored all 13 of his points int he second half to lead a balanced Eastern attack.

How It Happened:
The Aggies (6-14, 2-8 MAC Freedom) handed the Eagles (13-8, 8-2 MAC Freedom) their first league loss of the season on  avast-second shot in a low-scoring game back in January. The visitors seemed poised to do it again as the Eagles struggled mightily out of the gate. The Eagles had 14 first half turnovers and did not scored their tenth point until Victor Peña pounded home a a lay-in with less than eight minutes to play in the half.

Even with the offensive woes, the game never got out of hand, as the Eastern defense contested shots and limited second-chance and transition chances. The Aggies led 17-9 before the Peña basket, but that lead was cut to four seconds after the Eagles took a charge and Peña put away another basket while being fouled.  Peña had eight points and five rebounds at the half.

While the Aggies held a 28-24 lead at the break, with two post defenders at three fouls, their situation was tenuous.

The Eagles took advantage.

Michael Bowlers scored the first six points of the second half and drew two Aggie fouls in the first minute of play. After Damian Washington tied the score at 30-30, Gabe Perez found Draig Ruff on the way to the basket and the Eagles took the lead for good. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Perez and Sam Gallardo capped a 20-to-6 run that had the Eagles with a little breathing room with 11 minutes to play.

The Eagles picked up their second 12-point lead of the game on a Blet dunk on a lob from Perez in transition with four and a half minutes to play. The Aggies, playing for their post-season lives, did not go away quietly. They hit four 3-pointers and the Eagles missed six free throws in the final three minutes of the game. The Aggies picked up a steal down five with 23 seconds to play, but the Eagles were able to contest the shot and Peña grabbed the rebound and made a free throw for the final margin.

In the second half, the Eagles shot better from the floor, 15-of-25 (60%), than they did from the line, 13-of-23 (56.5%). The 23 free throws were a direct result of a commitment to play the game close to the basket. The more the smaller Aggies were forced to foul, the smaller they had to go. The Aggies did not hit a 3-pointer in the first 16+ minutes of the second half.

Bowlers scored 10 of his 11 points in the second half. Perez had 12 points and Gallardo went 3-for-3 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the line for nine points. Clfton Adams had five steals in the game.

For the Aggies, Washington finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Mike Cianciulli finished with 18 points.

Coach Pruessner Says:
"Another struggle down the stretch for us. The good news is that we are winning, however, if we don't learn from these mistakes the playoffs will be difficult. Vic was again a calming presence for us inside. He kept us in the game in the first half. Blet gave us great minutes in-spite of still being sick. It was not the best performance but we figured out a way to get the win. I also thought Draig and Gabe did a phenomenal job defensively versus Washington we forced him to take contested shots. Again we were able to keep an opponent under 40 percent in a game."

Up Next:
The Eagles host FDU-Florham at 6 pm Wednesday. Eastern needed overtime to get the Devils in Madison earlier in the year and the Devils are currently in the fourth spot in the standings. The Devils hoist up over 30 3-pointers per game and make a very good percentage. The Eagles, currently in a 3-way tie atop the MAC Freedom, will be in the MAC Freedom Tournament for the fourth year in a row.