ASHLAND, Va.— Eastern University Men's Basketball saw a furious second-half rally fall just short in 60-52 loss to Misericordia University Cougars (7-2) in the consolation game at the Coaches Tournament at Randolph-Macon College. Olise Onyeka scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the second half.

Though the Eagles (2-7) endured yet another frustrating shooting game, they defended well enough to close a 17-point Misericordia lead to three points at 55-52 on a Connor Fleet steal and lay-up in the final three minutes of the game. When the Cougars answered with a three-point play to stretch the game back to a two-possession affair, the Eagles missed their final five shots of the game to fall 60-52.

With 7-of-20 shooting and 10 turnovers, Eastern scuffled from the floor and struggled to take care of the ball in trailing 32-22 at half. That could have been much worse had the Eagles not made their final three shots of the frame and found a little momentum with a 10-to-3 run. Onyeka and DaRon Sherman each made 3-of-4 from the floor through the first 20 minutes while the rest of the team made only 1-of-12. The Cougars made only 11-of-30 shots in the half, but six of those makes came from behind the arc.

After the Cougars scored the first two baskets of the second half to bump their lead back to 15 points, the Eagles dug in on defense and started to claw out of the hole. Over the next nine minutes, Misericordia made only 2-of-13 from the floor as the Eagles used a a 15-to-8 run to close the gap to seven points with nearly 10 minutes to play.

The comeback inched forward despite a shortage of easy baskets or makes from distance, and many of the gains quickly dissipated when the Cougars made a quick five-point run before the under-eight timeout.

Out of the break, Mason Lewis scored inside before a 3-pointer from Fleet and steal and dunk from Onyeka closed the Misericordia lead to 49-45 with five and a half minutes left. After the Cougars stretched the lead back to eight points, Sherman hit a 3-pointer and Fleet ripped a ball free for a scoop-and-score. The Eagles were not able to get closer.

After making only 1-of-8 from behind the arc in the first half, the Eagles made just 2-of-9 in the second half. Even with the 3-pointers not falling, Eastern had the shots they needed to find the win, but they made only 9-of-24 shots in paint after halftime. The Cougars made only 1-of-9 from deep and only 10-of-28 overall in the second half.

Onyeka added 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Sherman finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. The Eagles finished with a 43-40 edge in rebounds, but the Cougars converted their eight offensive rebounds into 14 points while the Eagles scored only four second-chance points.

The Eagles will be happy to return to the friendly confines of The Nest, but things will not necessarily get easier as they host the University of Rochester Yellow Jackets (7-2) on Saturday at 2:30 and a York team that won eight-straight games to start the year at 7:00 pm next Wednesday.