ST. DAVIDS, Pa.— A strong start was not nearly enough as Eastern University Men's Basketball came up short in a home test against Alvernia with a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Tournament on the line. The visiting Golden Wolves (13-10, 7-6) neutralized Eastern's inside edge and closed out the first half on a 27-to-11 run on the way to an 80-57 win. Olise Onyeka finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds and DaRon Sherman had 13 points and three steals. 

With a big crowd on hand for the meaningful game, the Eagles scored eight of the first ten points of the game and were up 18-11 at the midpoint of first half. Mason Lewis and Onyeka each had seven points in the burst. 

Even with the lead, there were signs of trouble. The Eagles were unable to get points inside or in transition. On every post entry, the Golden Wolves threw multiple double teams from different directions and forced turnovers or rushed shots. That eventually led to an 18-to-3 the gave the guests a 29-21 lead. 

Despite making only 11-of-30 shots in the first half, the Eagles stayed within range down the stretch of the to trail only 38-29 at the break. 

After Sherman answered a Mason Jones jumper with a 3-pointer to open the second half, it looked like things might be looking up. Over the next 12 minutes, the Eastern defense held Alvernia to 7-of-18 shooting. That, however, was not nearly good enough. Over that same stretch, the Eagles went 2-for-17 with only seven points. 

Alvernia led by 16 with six-and-a-half minutes left, and neither team scored for nearly two full minutes. Forced to scramble the game, the Eagles played for turnovers and the Golden Wolves made lay-ups to keep a safe lead. 

Mason Lewis finished with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting . Alvernia's Elijah Hamilton scored a game-high 24 points. 

The Eagles (9-14, 6-7) will wrap up their year with a 4:00 pm home test against Hood College. The Blazers wrapped up the top seed int he upcoming tournament with a win over Messiah tonight. Alvernia is locked into the fourth seed and will open the MAC Commonwealth Tournament at Hood. Albright will host York in the other semifinal.