OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Eastern Men's Basketball remained red-hot on Saturday afternoon, increasing its win streak to seven games with a 95-87 triumph over the Stevenson Mustangs. The Eagles put together an offensive clinic, shooting a scorching 56.4 percent from the field (31-of-55), with nine players scoring at least two points.  Junior forward Jairus Carroll scored a season-high 18 points off the bench, while six other Eagles, including all five starters, finished in double figures. 

After the two teams traded baskets in the game's early stages, an 8-0 run by the Eagles turned a 9-8 deficit into a 15-8 advantage. With baskets coming from Joshua Grant, Jaron Fairweather, William Blet, and Terron Bacon during the 8-0 surge, Carroll followed with eight straight points, giving the Eagles a 24-17 lead with 9:58 to play in the first half.

The Mustangs pushed back, using an 11-2 run of their own to briefly regain the lead at 28-26, but the Eagles outscored Stevenson 21-10 over the final 6:27 of the first half to take a nine-point advantage into the halftime break. Eastern shot 57.14 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes of action (16-of-28) and three-of-seven from distance. 

Eastern continued to build its lead early in the second half, extending its advantage to double-digits on a made jumper from Sam Gallardo with 17:17 remaining. The Eagles would hold that double-digit advantage for the next 15 minutes of game action.

The Eagles' advantage continued to grow through a combination of efficient offense and intensity on defense as the second half progressed, resulting in a game-high, 23-point lead with 7:36 remaining. Stevenson continued to battle, cutting the lead all the way down to seven with just under two minutes to play, but the Eagles hit their final six free throws to secure their seventh-straight triumph and third MAC Commonwealth victory. 

Eastern recorded 15 more field goals after halftime, shooting 55.56 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. Defensively, Eastern held the Mustangs to 43.5 percent shooting, including just seven-of-18 from beyond the arc. 

"The guys really wanted this one tonight," Eastern Head Coach Dan Pruessner said. "They lost to Stevenson three times last year. As soon as Widener was over on Wednesday, they started talking about how they wanted Stevenson. Defensively, we weren't on point in the first half. However, coming out of halftime, they really ramped it up and got after it."  

Gallardo finished a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in the contest, scoring 16 points to go along with four rebounds, while Blet recorded his third double-double in Eastern's last four contests with 12 points and a team-high 10 boards. Fairweather, Kaeshawn Ward, and Draig Cooley all scored 11 points, while Bacon added 10 points on four-of-six shooting. 

The Eagles will have a full week off before heading back on the road next Saturday to do battle with the Lancaster Bible Chargers. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm.