HUNTINGDON, Pa.- After being pushed back two days, the Juniata and Moravian men's basketball teams finally got together on Monday night at Memorial Gymnasium. Marcus Lee (Carroltown, Pa./Bishop Carroll) scored a season-high 26 points as the Eagles took care of the Greyhounds with a 79-62 victory.
The win is the third straight for Juniata as it improves its record to 14-4 overall and 7-2 in the Landmark Conference. Moravian falls to 7-10 overall and 2-6 in the conference.
The score was tied at 8-all at the 16:39 mark of the first half. Juniata went on a 13-5 run to leap ahead 21-13 with 13:16 remaining. The Greyhounds were able to cut the deficit to five points, 21-16, at 11:43 but a 12-0 run by the Eagles increased the JC lead to 33-16 with 9:11 showing on the clock. Moravian would chip away at the Eagle lead but Juniata still led by double digits, 43-32, at halftime.
A 7-3 run by Moravian to begin the second half made it a six-point contest, 46-40, at 16:48 as the Greyhounds looked to get their way back into the game. The Blue and Gold countered with a 16-3 run by to take a 16-point lead with less than 12 minutes to play.
For the second time in the frame, the Greyhounds made their way back as they mounted a 12-2 run to again make it a two-possession game, 61-55, with 5:52 left. The Eagles withstood the Moravian threat as they went on a 14-2 run to go ahead 75-57 with 2:47 left to pull away with the win.
From the floor, Juniata shot 52.7% (29-of-55). The Eagles also continued their run of excellent free throw shooting as they went 20-of-24 (83.3%) from the charity stripe.
The JC defense held the Greyhounds to 22-of-58 shooting (37.9%) and just 5-of-21 (23.8%) from three-point range. The Eagles had a season-high 12 steals with Justin Fleming (Richmond, Va./Benedictine College Prep) and Kyle Koehler (Chester Springs, Pa./Devon Prep) both coming away with four. The defense also forced a season-high 20 turnovers.
The Eagles had a strong presence in the paint as they outscored the Greyhounds 48-32. JC took advantage of the 20 Moravian turnovers as it turned it into 26 points. The bench was a big factor as it outscored Moravian's 24-4.
Seth Brewer (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) added 14 points for the Eagles on the night. Fleming's stat line was six points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Koehler scored eight points as did Brandon Martinazzi (Cresson, Pa./Bishop Carroll).
Juniata travels to Towson, Md. on Wednesday to play Goucher. The Eagles won the last meeting between the two teams back on January 5, 69-62. Game time will be at 7 p.m.
