DALLAS, Pa.–– With finals week just around the corner, Eastern University Men's Basketball (6-1, 2-0 Freedom) faced an important Freedom Conference test against an unbeaten Misericordia University squad. The Eagles grabbed a lead midway through the first half and held on to pass the test with a 62-58.
"This was a big win for us," Head Coach Matt Nadelhoffer commented, "Misericordia runs their stuff really well, I was really pleased with how we played defensively. We did a great job on the boards." The Eagles, led by Alex Nelson's game-high 13, owned a 48-31 edge on the glass and held the Cougars to just three offensive rebounds.
The Cougars jumped to a 4-0 lead early as the Eagles missed a pair of easy shots. Junior point guard Mike Donatoni then found Alex Nelson in transition to half the lead and scored five of his own points on a lay-up and long three-pointer. The Eagles then built the lead to five for a brief moment before the host Cougars used eight free throws and an inside basket to go up 16-14.
Collin Whipple responded with a three pointer, and Don Kaiser put back a rebound to put the Eagles up 19-16 with 7:40 to play. Misericordia (5-1, 1-1 Freedom) tied the game with a three, but Whipple answered immediately with a three at the other end. On the next possession, Chaz Merriman-Brown battled for an offensive rebound and stuck the lay-up in the increase the lead to five. The Eagles pulled away to a 33-26 lead at the intermission.
Though the Eagles struggled to score near the basket, they converted 5-11 from behind the arc in the first half. The Cougars kept the game close with a 9-0 edge at the foul line. The Cougars shot 27% from the floor in the opening frame, and did not score a second chance basket.
The Eagles held the edge through the second half.
Dan Miller and Don Kaiser gave the Eagles 15 points off the bench after the break. For the game, the Eastern bench, led by Miller's 12 points and eight rebounds, outscored their counterparts from Misericordia 23-3 and grabbed 14 rebounds to Misericordia's four.
"It's about being ready for any situation that can happen," Kaiser related, "The starters are in and you know that there a bunch of different things that can happen, and I have to be ready for anything. I go hard for offensive rebounds and have my hands ready around the basket." Kaiser started most games in the 08-09 season, but he missed the entire 09-10 season with injury and has provided veteran leadership and solid defense off the bench through the early season.
The host Cougars briefly cut the deficit to 37-31 four minutes into the second half, but Miller hit a tough spinning 12 footer from the right side to build the lead back to eight. The Eagles then secured a stop at the other end and built the lead to ten when Whipple drained a mid-range jumper in traffic late in the shot clock.
Though Misericordia made some inroads into the lead, the Eagles were able to take care of the ball and score late in possessions to hold the edge. The hosts had just three turnovers in the second half, but they connected on only 36% of their shots and secured only two offensive rebounds. Kaiser made a difference down the stretch with a pair of blocked shots.
"We know the value of winning on the road," Nadelhoffer said, "and this was a really good win for us. I felt like our guys did the work at the defensive end. More importnatly, there were several points in that game where we could have lost focus or been distracted by a call or a tough break, and I think our guys did what we teach. They moved to the next play. Alex had a tough day from the field, but he grabbed 13 rebounds, that's the kind of character stuff we are looking for. I also thought we worked really hard to recognize their shooters and not give open looks."
"The last couple days," Donatoni stated, "the coaches have been making sure that we knew what we wanted to do and how to defend against them. We went out and executed the game plan. We gave our maximum effort and we were able to play well enough to get the win."
Nelson finished the day with 14 points and Whipple finished with 10, but the Eastern balance and depth was the story of the game. Misericordia's Ethan Eichorst hit 9-10 free throws on the way to a game-high 22 points. The Cougars made their final two three-pointers of the day, including one at the buzzer, to finish 3-22 from distance.
The Eagles are off for final exams and will return to action with a home game against Immaculata University on December 20th.