The Eagles defeated the Lehigh Mountain Hawks 64-44 at Bender Arena on Feb. 12, snapping the team’s two-game losing streak.
“We were down a little bit.” Gardner said of the team after the two game losing streak, “But we knew we had to move on and get ready for Lehigh.”
Junior guard Darius Gardner led the Eagles with 17 points, six assists and five steals. Senior center Tony Wroblicky had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, also blocking two shots. Sophomore guard Jesse Reed added 14 points and junior John Schoof had twelve points of his own, going 4-5 from beyond the arc.
The Eagles (15-9,11-2 PL) got off to a slow start against Lehigh (13-13 6-7 PL), trailing 18-12 to open the game, but ended the half on a 15-2 run that put AU 27-20 at the break. The momentum continued into the second half as the Eagles stretched their already massive run to 29-7, going up 44-25.
Defending senior guard Mackey McKnight served as an invaluable asset to the Eagles, dubbed as “one of the best players in the league” by Brennan.
“All five guys on the floor knew where he was,” head coach Mike Brennan said of McKnight. “We were really tuned in to what he was doing, but some guys are going to have off nights.”
McKnight scored 23 points the last time the two teams met in January, but was shut down tonight scoring just six points on 1-5 shooting and turned the ball over six times.
Following two games of uncharacteristically poor defense, the Eagles picked it up defensively, holding Lehigh to just 15-of-43 shooting and forcing 21 turnovers.
“We weren’t doing a really good job on defense the last few games but I felt like we really picked it up.” Wroblicky said of the team’s defensive effort against Lehigh.
After calling a timeout with 8:32 left in the first half, Brennan subbed in walk-on freshman Charlie Jones, who provided a major burst of energy for the Eagles. Despite only scoring two points, Jones sparked both the team and the crowd with his defense and energy, which transpired into a well-executed block to end the first half, eventually receiving a standing ovation from the crowd in the second half for his effort and hustle.
“Since the start of the season, his enthusiasm has brought us energy,” Gardner said of Jones “He’s a great defender, he helps out a lot, and he’s incredibly active.”
The Mountain Hawks were led by freshman guard Austin Price who scored 20 points and had five steals. No other Lehigh player had more than six points.
The Eagles next matchup will be Feb. 15 against the Lafayette Leopards in Easton, Pa. Following this, the Eagles head to Boston to take on the Boston University Terriers for what could be a battle for first in the Patriot League
