RADNOR, Pa. – Senior Aaron Walton-Moss recorded a triple double to lead the Cabrini men's basketball team to a 91-86 victory over Eastern University in the annual Battle for Eagle Road.
Walton-Moss posted 20 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to lead five Cavaliers in double figure scoring on the night. Freshman Jair Green added 20 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and three steal to go with a pair of breakaway dunks that electrified the Nerney Field House crowd.
Fellow rookie Tyheim Monroe added 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists off the bench, while senior Vinny Walls notched 13 points and freshman Ivan Robinson 12 points.
Both teams exchanged the lead in the opening minutes of the first half, but midway through the stanza, Cabrini began to take control of the game.
An Eastern three pointer cut the Blue and White lead to 22-19 with 11:19 on the clock. Over the next nine minutes, Cabrini outscored Eastern 22-8 to build a 44-27 lead in the final minutes of the opening half.
The Cavaliers connected on 46.2% of its field goal attempts in the first half and dominated the glass to the tune of a 30-15 rebounding advantage leading to a 46-34 halftime lead.
The Blue and White lead grew to 52-36 just three minutes into the second half, when Eastern began to chip away.
Eastern sophomore Tarek Hamzeh hit back to back threes, cutting Cabrini's lead back to six points but three quick buckets, including a steal and dunk from Green, extended the lead back to 13 points.
The Eagles kept the pressure on with their hot outside shooting, cutting their deficit to as few as four points in the final minutes, but the Cavaliers always had an answer, as Robinson, Green and fellow rookie Robbie Brosh combined to hit 6-8 from the free throw line in the final 41 seconds to seal the win.
Cabrini continued its paint dominance in the second half, as it grabbed 46 caroms, including 14 on the offensive glass, to Eastern's 30. The Cavaliers also outscored the Eagles 44-18 in the paint.
Junior Malcolm Garrison led Eastern (0-2) with 25 points, hitting 10-19 from the floor. Hamzeh connected on 5-9 from three point range for 17 points, while fellow rookie Austin James paired 13 points and 11 boards.
The Cavaliers will return to action next weekend as they travel to Owings Mills, Md. for the Hoopsville National Invitational Classic. Cabrini will face Purchase College (0-2) on Saturday at 4 p.m. before facing No. 12
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (1-0) at 3 p.m. on Sunday.