The game started with back and forth action and Drew Karschner hit a long three for the Chargers to tie the game at eleven just over five minutes into the game. The Eagles put together a 30-10 run over the next ten minutes to create their ultimate margin of victory. In that run, the Eagles played exciting team basketball as seven different players scored thirteen baskets. Bobby Black picked up ten points in the decisive run and Joe Manzo and Matt Flanagan picked up six points apiece. Also indicative of the cohesiveness of the team was the ten assists in that stretch. The Eagles rolled into halftime up 53-34 with fifteen different players seeing first half action.
In the first two minutes out of the intermission, the hosts played their best defense of the night as they forced turnovers and scored the first ten points to bump their advantage to 29. Up big, the Eagles intensity waned and the Chargers began to hit shots. Tim Feliciano hit for 19 of his game high 29 in the second half to keep the game within twenty for the guests, but the Chargers never seriously challenged the Eagles advantage.
For the game Eastern shot 50% from the field and picked up 32 assists. Also worth noting, the Eagle pressure forced the smaller Chargers into 3o turnovers and picked up 19 steals. Black led four Eagles in double figure scoring with 23 points on a very efficient 10-18 shooting effort. In two critical statistics, the non-starters for Eastern outscored their counterparts 60-4, and Eastern scored 98 points with only six free throws on the night.
Coach Nadelhoffer said of the team’s effort, “I was a little disappointed by our lack of concentration in the second half after we got up. I don’t know whether it was poor combinations or just a factor of a known result, but we want our guys to focus better at the defensive end of the floor. We will give up points at this tempo, but we are playing enough guys that we should do a better job of contesting shots. On the bright side, I think we moved the basketball well and our shooting was better as a result.”
“We are 4-1 now, but we feel like we should be 4-1. I told the guys that next week will present a good picture of who we are. I think this team is up to the challenge.” The Eagles welcome Arcadia and Neumann into their gym on Tuesday and Thursday before closing out the semester at Misericordia on Saturday.