The AU men's Basketball team finally snapped not one but two four-game losing streaks Wednesday night.
The Eagles' 65-61 victory at Lehigh put them back into the win column, a place they haven't been since a Feb. 4 win over Army. AU had lost its last four games, all in the Patriot League.
But it also ended the nearly-two-year domination of the Eagles by the Mountain Hawks, a rule that included two overtime losses at AU, and Lehigh's last-second PL championship victory in 2004.
Still, the Eagles have a lot of work to do if they have any chance of returning to the title game this year. But at least they've stopped the bleeding.
"I think right now, our guys can feel good about themselves a little bit," said AU coach Jeff Jones. "We've gone through a tough stretch, and obviously lost some games."
With high-scoring sophomore guard Andre Ingram slowed by the flu, senior forward Jason Thomas carried the Eagles, scoring a career-high 27 points, marking the fourth time this season he's tied or broken his previous best. Thomas shot 10-15 from the floor, including 5-8 from 3-point range. By Jones' account, he was the only Eagle to have any real success on the offensive end in a physical and defensive game that has become typical of this series.
"You have to tip your hat to Jason Thomas," Jones said. Beside scoring, Jones said, "he did an excellent job defensively, an excellent job on (Lehigh guard) Jose Olivero, even though he finished with 19 points. He hit a couple shots early, that kind of gave him that confidence to get off to a good start."
While Thomas was the only Eagle in double figures, Jones said several others gave him "quality minutes."
Sophomore Brayden Bilbe's continued improvement continued Wednesday, as he scored a career-high six points and added five rebounds off the bench. Sophomore guard Linas Lekavicius's two free-throws with 21 seconds left were crucial, putting AU up 63-58. Senior forward Patrick Okpwae, thought by many near the team to be in Jones' "doghouse," led AU with seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Sekou Lewis also came through, Jones said.
The Eagles (14-11 overall) sit tied with Lehigh (13-13) at 7-6 in the PL. While several scenarios are possible, an AU win Saturday combined with a Lehigh loss would guarantee a No.3 seed in the PL tourney, and a shorter road-trip to Bucknell.
Every recent contest between the two birds of prey has been close, and this one was no different. But AU gained a decisive advantage on the boards, 39-27. and on the perimeter, shooting 50 percent as a team from 3-point range to Lehigh's 20 percent.
The game, as described by Jones, was a back and forth affair. At halftime, the Eagles led the Mountain Hawks, 28-27. In the game's opening stages, neither team could score with any ease, and the two sides combined for 11 points over the first 8:26.
The Eagles close their home season Saturday, when a dangerous Navy squad comes to Bender Arena looking for their first win in the series since AU entered the PL. The Midshipmen defeated Lafayette 76-57 at home on Wednesday, and at 5-8 in the PL are suprisingly looking to escape one of the tournament's bottom two seeds.
"It's nice to get this win, and as I said, to just catch our breath," Jones said. "But we do that knowing that we've got to turn around real quickly, and get ready to play mentally and physically against a navy team playing about as well as anyone in the league behind Holy Cross."
Navy will be looking to upset AU's Senior Day, in which the Eagles will honor a five-member senior class.
