HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Juniata men's basketball topped Goucher College 60-46 at home in the Kennedy Sports+Recreation Center Wednesday night. With nationally ranked Catholic holding the only confirmed ticket to the dance with three games remaining, the Eagles, who are currently tied for second in the Landmark Conference, are battling in a tight race for the final positions and every win is critical.
"I think we took care of business," said head coach Greg Curley. "We did what we needed to do. We defended pretty well, took care of the ball and did the basic things we needed to do to win the game."
Juniors Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College) and Kevin Stapleton (Indiana, Pa./Indiana) led with a game-high 15 and 14 points, respectively. Also continuing his stellar play was junior Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W. Va./John Marshall). He picked up game-highs of six assists and five steals.
Juniata led 29-19 at the half and never looked back. The Eagles went up by as much as 17 points with 8:13 to play. The defense helped cause 20 Goucher turnovers that translated into 18 Eagle points.
Goucher (5-16, 3-8 Landmark) was led by Julian Livingston who finished with 12 points.
Juniata hits the road next. The Eagles travel to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy this Saturday, Feb. 9 for a double-header with the women's team.
"Saturday's a huge challenge for us," said Curley. "When we played them here, we gave up 22 offensive rebounds. They're as big as it gets and they are really tough. They're playing for their playoff life. So it's really just a gut check and to see if we can go execute and get it done. We're going to have to win a lot of tough games like this moving forward. It's an exciting thing. I told the guys that we have to just let it rip and embrace the challenge."
Juniata shot 47-percent as a team to pull out 74-62 victory when the programs last met. Merchant Marine still leads the all-time series 7-4, but Juniata has won two of the last three meetings.
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