ST. DAVIDS, Pa. – The Cabrini men's basketball team opened 2013-14 with a balanced road win. The No. 19 Cavaliers reclaimed local supremacy with a 89-75 win at Eastern University in the annual Battle for Eagle Road.
Seven Cavaliers recorded at least eight points and no one saw more than 29 minutes of action on the night. Junior Aaron Walton-Moss led teh way with 18 points adn 12 rebounds. Seniors A.J. Picard adn Fran Rafferty combined for 29 points, while junior Vinny Walls and freshman Brennan McCann added 10 points each in their Blue and White debuts.
Both teams came out firing on all cylinders but when the game began to settle after the first few minutes, the Cavalier began to pull away. A walls jumper with 13:27 left in the first half culminated a 13-4 Cabrini run, building a 19-10 lead. Six consecutive points by freshman Deryl Bagwell extended the lead to 24 late in first half.
The Cavaliers continued to use its pressure defense to key its offense. The Eagles connected on just 38.2% of its field goal attempts in the opening half, hitting just 2-9 from three point range, as the Blue and White built a 50-31 halftime advantage.
Cabrini showed no slow down after the halftime break, as the club kept its lead above 20 points for most of the half. A Walton-Moss jumper extended the advantage to 27 points with 13:47 to play. Senior Jon Miller helped the Cavaliers maintain its intensity in the second half, as the senior tallied all eight of his points and grabbed
four boards in just eight minutes.
The Blue and White shot 52.4% from the floor, including 10-24 from three point range. Cabrini also dominated the glass, outrebounding Eastern 41-31.
Jimmie Willis led Eastern (0-1) with 15 points while Malcolm Garrison added 13 points and Shaquan Turk 10.
The road gets tougher for the Cavaliers as they travel to Owings Mills, Md. this weekend for the Hoopsville National Invitational Classic. The Blue and White will face No. 10 St. Mary's (1-0) on Friday at 8:00 p.m. and Salisbury (1-1) on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.