HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata men's basketball rolled to its third straight win of the season, 64-53, over Washington & Jefferson Tuesday night in the Kennedy Sports+Recreation Center. Four of the Eagles five starters picked up double-digits in points in the win. Juniata (3-0) went 9-for-13 from the free throw line to pull away in the second half.
"These games the night before Thanksgiving break are always a challenge, but we came in with good energy and good focus and did what we needed to do," said Head Coach Greg Curley. "I thought we played really well in stretches. We lost some focus, but that's early in the year stuff and there's a lot that we can build on from it."
The Eagles were led by senior Alex Raymond (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Altoona). The guard finished with a game-high 16 points. Junior Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College) picked up 13 points in his third straight double-digit performance of the year. He finished with seven rebounds and two assists. Junior Kevin Stapleton (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) and senior Nate Higgins (St. Mary's, Pa./Elk County Catholic) rounded out the Eagles in double-digits. The pair picked up 11 and 10 points respectively.
Junior Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W. Va./John Marshall), the fifth Eagle starter, also played well. He finished with a game-high four assists, earned seven points and grabbed four rebounds in the win.
"We'd like to get all five in double-digits," said Curley of the starters. "I think if Jeremy wasn't in foul trouble in the first half, we probably would have. That's how we're built. We talk about being balanced. It's going to make us effective and good."
Washington & Jefferson was led by Zach Bellhy who finished with 15 points, while his brother Nate Bellhy picked up a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Presidents dropped to 0-3 with the loss.
Juniata returns home after the holiday to face Dickinson College this Saturday, Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. The Eagles play in the finale of a double-header with the women who open their home season at 2 p.m. against Gwynedd-Mercy.
"It's a huge challenge," said Curley of facing the Red Devils. "They've received votes for national ranking, they have one of the best big guys we'll face and one of the best point guards we'll face. They're very good from another good league, so it's exactly the kind of game we need to play right now to find out where we are."
This will be the 66th meeting between Juniata and Dickinson, eighth under Curley. The programs have been meeting since the 1907-08 season. Dickinson leads the all-time series 36-29 and Juniata is 3-4 against the Red Devils under Curley, going 1-2 at home.
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