HUNTINGDON, Pa.- A combination of a pressuring defense and timely offense proved to be a winning formula for the Juniata men's basketball team as they defeated visiting Catholic 79-67 on Wednesday night at Memorial Gymnasium. The win was significant for Juniata head coach Greg Curley as it was the 200th victory of his career.
"I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be at a place like Juniata, said Curley after the game, "A lot of work from a lot people has allowed our program to enjoy that success."
The victory also snaps Juniata's six-game winless streak against the Cardinals. The Eagles improve to 13-4 overall and 6-2 in the Landmark. Catholic drops to 12-5 and 5-3 in the conference.
Catholic came in as the highest scoring team in the Landmark with an average of 82 points per game. The 67 points that the Cardinals scored was their second-lowest output of the season. The Eagles also held the Cardinals to 38.7% shooting from the floor, which was the team's lowest this season.
The Eagles had a pair of four-point leads early in the first half but Catholic would cut those deficits down both times. With JC ahead 18-14 with 13:34 showing on the game clock, a 12-4 Cardinal run gave Catholic a 26-22 lead with 9:28 remaining.
Juniata was able to keep the game within two possessions as it kept pressure on the Cardinals. With just over a minute left until halftime, Catholic went up 36-40. JC cut that lead to three on Damon Rickens' (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) trey with 34 seconds left as the Cardinals led 40-37 at the break.
The Eagles were able to carry their momentum over into the second half as baskets by Justin Fleming (Richmond, Va./Benedictine College Prep) and Marcus Lee (Carrolltown, Pa./Bishop Carroll) put Juniata ahead 41-40. Catholic did regain its advantage but it was short-lived as back-to-back three point shots from Kyle Koehler (Chester Springs, Pa./Devon Prep) tied the contest at 47-all at 13:18. That started a 13-4 run for JC that gave it a 54-49 lead with 9:35 to play.
Juniata's lead stood at 60-54 with just under seven minutes remaining in the game. A three pointer from Rickens followed by a Fleming layup put the Eagles ahead 65-54 at 5:38 as they gained separation from Catholic. The Cardinals could get no closer than nine points as the Eagles made all eight of their free throw shots in the final minutes to pull away and take the victory.
"The way we won was very good," said Curley. "I thought we were consistent and solid and did what we did and took some punches. I thought it was a really good basketball game. We really established ourselves defensively towards the end of the first half. I thought we adjusted and gained some confidence as the game went on."
For the second straight game, Rickens led Juniata in scoring as he put up 15 points. Koehler led an Eagle bench that outscored the Cardinals 28-10 with 13 points. Fleming and Seth Brewer (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) both added 10 points each. Lee, Dennis Fisher (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle Area), and Brandon Martinazzi (Cresson, Pa./Bishop Carroll) all chipped in eight points apiece with Lee leading the team in rebounds with seven and Martinaazi in assists with four.
Juniata was nearly perfect from the charity stripe as it was 20-of-21 for a season-best 95.2%. Catholic was 12-of-18 for 66.7%
Juniata will next host Moravian on Saturday. Tip off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
