ST. DAVIDS, Pa.– Eastern University Men's Basketball had a 17-point lead with two minutes to play in the first half, but the Eagles (5-2) needed late heroics to force overtime on the way to a 92-90 win over the visiting Neumann University Knights.
Jaron Fairweather scored seven of his career-best 26 points in the final two minutes of regulation.
No watching the first half could have expected the need for heroics. The Eagles made 19-of-32 from the floor and had seven offensive rebounds on their way to a 47-35 lead at the break.
Kaeshawn Ward was 7-of-10 from the floor with 19 points. He put the Eagles up 45-28 with a three-point play in transition with two minutes left in the period. Fairweather had eight points at half and
Kevin Reeves had seven. Neumann guard TJ Lewis and 13 points and six assists at the break.
The intermission helped the Knights find their feet. The Eagles made just 3-of-17 from the floor through the opening 11 minutes of the second half, and the Knights turned the 12-point deficit into a 61-57 lead. Weathering the Eastern pressure and getting the ball inside, Neumann shot 12-of-18 from the floor and got 13 points from Jalen Vaughns. The Neumann center came into the game averaging 26.7 points per game. Without taking a shot from the floor from outside five feet, he finished with 30.
The Eagles found a couple transition baskets and tied the score at 63-63 on a Fairweather dunk with 5:45 tp play, but twice, the Knights scored consecutive baskets to take a tie game to a four-point lead. The lead was 71-67 with 152 to play. After the Neumann basket, Ward pushed the ball up the sideline and found Fairweather in the corner. Eastern's leading shooter on the year hit nothing but net for his third 3-pointer of the game.
The Knights, however, found an answer with another tough shot in the paint fora. 73-70 lead with 77 seconds to play. Ward stepped up. The senior guard came into the game having shot just three free throws on the season. He curled off a screen, got to the rim and threw a little up fake. He jumped second, drew contact and finished the lay-up. His free throw tied the game.
On the next Neumann possession,
Zubair Lee blocked back-to-back shots, but the Knights got four offensive rebounds and earned a trip to the foul line where they split a pair to open a door for the Eagles to take the lead.
Fairweather got a pass from Ward and finished a the rim, and then picked the pocket of a Neumann guard for a scoop-and-score and a three-point lead with 12 seconds to play.
The Knights again found an answer. With the Eagles chasing to foul, Lewis found Kyle Thompson in the corner. The veteran guard lofted a shot over two defenders to send the game to overtime.
Neumann scored first in the extra frame, but the Eagles took the lead for good on four free throws from Lee. The Eastern lead stood at 91-87 with eight seconds to play but Thompson banked home a 25-footer to close the gap to a single point with four seconds left. Reeves split a pair at the line for the final score.
"Boog [Fairweather] was incredible tonight," Head Coach
Dan Pruessner said after the game. "He made great plays, but his demeanor and presence are what really stood out. In every stoppage and time out, he was communicating belief. He and Kaeshawn really stepped up when we needed them."
"There will definitely be things to learn from this," Pruessner continued. "I think finding ways to win is important. Their big guy is a tough match-up, and they made some big shots. It was great to see our guys have a response."
Ward matched his career-high with 24 points. He added seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals. Fairweather was 10-of-14 from the floor with four steals. Reeves and Lee each had 14 points. Lee added nine rebounds and five blocks.
Vaughns led the Knights with 30 points and 11 rebounds. Lewis had 23 points and nine assists and Thompson had 22 points and five assists. Thompson, Lewis, and vaughns all played a major role on the Neumann team that went 21-8 last season.
The Eagles will host Wilson College on Saturday at three.
