The Eagles got off to a hot start and never looked back as they dominated the Loyola (Maryland) Greyhounds 64-49.
It was a special night for senior guard John Schoof, who became the 30th player in school history to reach 1,000 points. Schoof finished the game with 15 points on 4-for-5 shooting, and he went 7-for-8 from the line.
“I’ve been lucky to have played for two really good coaches, I’ve had a lot of great teammates throughout my four years. I’ve played on a lot of unselfish teams. It’s definitely a very fortunate thing to reach that mark [1,000 points],” Schoof said.
The Eagles dominated the game from the opening tip, thanks to their hot shooting. The Eagles shot an outstanding 73.7 percent from the field, and 67 percent from downtown. They also locked down the Greyhounds, holding them to 41.9 percent shooting, and they only connected with 25 percent of their three point attempts.
Loyola switched up their defense multiple times throughout the first half, playing zone, man-to-man and occasionally going to a full-court press, but head coach Mike Brennan and the rest of the team were ready for everything Loyola threw at them.
“Loyola throws a lot at you. They make you work, they press you, they trap you, they switch stuff, they demand time so you have to prepare for them,” Brennan said.
The Eagles started on an 18-4 run, fueling the team for the rest of the game. The second half began with the Eagles up 42-25, in which Loyola started the half with an 8-0 run. It looked as if Loyola could use the momentum to propel themselves back into the game. AU answered back with a 9-0 run of their own, which effectively put the game out of reach.
Kevin Panzer played one of his most complete games of the season. The senior center totalled eight points, nine rebounds and a team-high six assists in 38 minutes of play.
“It’s a lot of minutes for him [Kevin Panzer],” Brennan said. “He was able to stay out of foul trouble and he rebounded early on. He’s getting better each day.”
Junior guard Jesse Reed had an outstanding game as well, scoring 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting in only 22 minutes of play.
The Greyhounds (9-13, 5-6 PL) were lead by guard Eric Laster, who scored 17 points.
With the win the Eagles remain in a tie for third place with Lehigh and Lafayette. The Eagles (13-10, 6-5 PL) will travel to upstate New York for their next game against the league leaders Colgate on Saturday, Feb. 9.
mholt@theeagleonline.com
