HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata College had four players score in double figures on its way to a 66-60 Landmark Conference men's basketball victory over the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Saturday night at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center.

Junior guard Alex Raymond (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Altoona Area) knocked down four of his five shots from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers, and went 7-of-9 at the free-throw line, on his way to a team-high 17 points. Raymond also dished out seven assists.

Senior Dan Sekulski (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone Area) added 12 points, while Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W.Va./John Marshall) and Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College Area) finished with 11 and 10 points respectively.

A 9-0 Juniata run late in the second half left the Eagles with a 60-52 lead with 1:43 remaining in the game, with Austin Ankney (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) layups both starting and capping the drive. Scholly also had a pair of buckets during the Juniata surge.

Juniata was just 4-of-8 at the line through the final minute of play, however that effort coupled with the Eagles' eight-point lead was enough to withstand Merchant Marine's 3-of-6 mark from the field, allowing Juniata to post the win.

Merchant Marine led for much of the first half, taking a seven-point lead at the 15:44 mark on a 3-pointer by Denver Effland. A three-minute scoring drought by the Mariners yielded a 12-0 Eagle run, with Juniata taking the lead on a Raymond trey at the 7:51 mark. The game was tied two more times by the end of the opening half, with the Eagles taking a two-point lead into the intermission. 

The Eagles built their lead up to six points, 47-41, following a Hays 3-pointer at the 12:14 mark of the second half. The Mariners chipped away at the Juniata lead, finally overtaking the Eagles with a Zach Karczewski jumper with just under nine minutes remaining.

The lead changed three times over the next minute-and-a-half, before Juniata finally grabbed the lead with its decisive run. 

Merchant Marine (6-7, 1-1 Landmark) was paced by Reed Buck's 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Karzcewski tallied nine points.

Juniata (10-3, 2-0 Landmark) will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 8, when it hosts Drew University at 2:00 p.m. at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center.

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