ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– When Eastern University Men's basketball leaves the court at Nerney Field House after tonight's game against the Cabrini University Cavaliers, it will mark the end of rivalry that has been been almost as close as the two Eagle Road rivals. The Eagles (2-2) will look to extend their streak in the series to five.
Though the Cavaliers dominated the early days of the series, the rivalry has grown over the last 20 years. In the last 21 meetings, dating back to February of 2004, the Cavaliers have won 11 games and the Eagles have won 10. In that stretch, Cabrini has outscored the Eastern men 1701 to 1681.
When Cabrini announced that the school would be closing its doors at the end of the school year, there was some question about how that would impact sports. Tonight's game also took on new meaning.
The February match in 2004 came in a PAC Playoff game after a string of games where the Cavaliers had won 23-of-24 games between the two neighboring schools. That game was and will remain the only conference playoff game between the two schools. Sophomore forward Chris McMonagle scored 16 points and rookie guard Lenny DiMaria scored 15 as the Eagles held on for a 75-71win.
That game marked a new era of parity in the league. The two teams split the season series in the following two seasons and Eastern swept the season series in '06-'07. In Eastern's final year in the PAC, both teams claimed close wins on their home floor.The Eagles claimed an 87-82 overtime win.
The following season, the two teams would meet just once.
That game, will be remembered by those that were there as an absolute classic. The two teams finished regulation tied at 64. Neither team led by more than a single possession through the first overtime. Martin Soaries, who would wind up playing all 50 minutes, put the Eagles up three with a pair of free throws with 12 seconds on the clock, but Cabrini standout Glenn Washington sent the game to a second overtime with a long 3-pointer just before the buzzer. The Cavaliers hit 11 free throws int he second overtime and went on to win 92-88.
The Cavaliers won the first seven non-league games between the two schools.
That ended with another classic in November of 2015. Shaquan Turk had 25 points and nine rebounds for the Eagles and Tyheim Monroe had 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead four Cavaliers in double-figures, but the game ended with a Malcolm Garrison 35-footer just before time expired. Easter won 86-85.
The Cavaliers won in 2016 and 2017, and the Eagles have won the last four games.
Cabrini comes into tonight's game off an impressive 74-62 home win over the University of Scranton. The Cavaliers are just 1-5 on the year, but have run a gauntlet of tough games and have been within striking distance throughout. They led at halftime and fell by six to a nationally-ranked Swarthmore team.
The Eagles (2-2) have dropped games to Rowan and Case Western Reserve and have blown out Waynesburg and Penn State Schuylkill. Tonight's game starts a run of very competitive games heading into Christmas Break and the MAC Commonwealth season.
The Eagles will host Misericordia University on Saturday.
