loss. We know we need to play together in every game and come ready to go no matter who our opponent is.” The men’s team came out with just as much fi re with a quick 5 points for both teams. The emotions of the players were shown during a jump ball with a little talk between some players, but no one let it escalate, and play resumed. Scoring was spread pretty evenly between Eagle’s players. Anthony Concepcion, Darius Washington, and Victor Perez each had a few 3 pointers, Gabriel Perez was strong in the paint to add a few points, and William Blet knocked down a few foul shots. And this was all in the fi rst few minutes. This ball movement and intensity of the Eastern team however, was well matched by Cabrini’s off ense. After a timeout by the Eagles with the score a close 19-17, Antonio Chapman established Eastern’s presence with a steal and a layup. Not long after that was the play of the night. After forcing a Cabrini turnover, the Eagles pushed the ball down the court, and executed a perfect alley-oop from Pena to Blet, who fi nished with an explosive one handed slam. This was an obvious momentum builder, as the whole gym ignited and put Eastern up 25-19. Cabrini called a timeout to regroup, and then executed their comeback spectacularly. Forcing Eastern turnovers and fouls, they shut Eagle scoring down and gained the fi rst lead of the game. The full court press and half court trap caused problems for Eastern, whose scoring came primarily in fast paced opportunities. At the half, Cabrini was up 33-36. Austin James came out at the half with a 3 to put Eastern right back into it, and the game continued to be neck and neck. Every point was a battle, and it was always answered by a score from the other team. Fouls and free throws especially kept the teams going, with the foul count at 10-4 against Cabrini at one point. This led to a 60-60 tie game. Then, Eastern became undone as Cabrini executed a 14-4 run, and both teams ended up in the double bonus. A fi nal score of 62-68 was nothing to be ashamed of for the Eagle’s fi rst game of the season. Blet says, “I think we need to do better not falling apart when another team goes on a big run, making sure everyone stays with the same intensity on off ense and defense… I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, we got a lot of new guys and once we gel I think we’re going to be a very scary team.” Good luck to both teams on the rest of the season. It is obvious that the Eastern Eagles know how to battle. Ea s t e r n University men’s and women’s basketball teams started off their seasons with double header “rivalry” games against Cabrini University. These games were properly titled “The Battle of Eagle Road”, because the matchup with the team from across the street was nothing short of a battle. Throughout the day on Wednesday, Nov. 15, the anticipation on campus was tangible. Wristbands to get into the game were even sold out 2 days beforehand. The nerves and excitement fed right into the opening tip-off of the women’s game which brought both teams out with fast and aggressive starts. The passion of all of the players was displayed by both teams being in the bonus before the fi rst quarter even ended. However, this didn’t prevent scoring as the end of the fi rst quarter saw Eastern within one point at the buzzer. Coming in for quarter two down 14-15, Eastern had a little bit of trouble stopping a Cabrini run. However, the Eagles didn’t give up and gained some more momentum with a beautiful 3 by Amanda Riiff , followed by an intense few possessions of breakaways and steals. Riif also hit a buzzer beater at the half to bring Eastern within 4. This goes to show how much of a battle the game really was.
Eastern came out from the half fi ring as well. Consecutive possessions in the first minute included an Eastern 3, Cabrini 2 pointer, Eastern 2 pointer, and a steal ending in a Cabrini foul. This meant we had a close game. Eastern displayed great ball movement throughout the third quarter, but Cabrini stepped up to force a few turnovers. One particularly rough turnover resulted in a Cabrini three point play after an Eastern foul. This pulled them away a little bit, so Eastern initiated a diamond trap press with a little over a minute left in the third quarter. The Eagles weren’t far out of it, with the score 38-46 at the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter was riddled with turnovers and fouls on both ends of the court. However, it always seemed that Cabrini got the better end of the fouls or the rebounds or the steals and therefore, despite a few momentum changing three pointers — notably one by Taylor Price — the final score saw a 53-66 Cabrini victory over the Eagles. Riiff wants to use this game as a learning experience, stating, “I think we were able to learn as a team and grow from this loss. We know we need to play together in every game and come ready to go no matter who our opponent is.”
The men’s team came out with just as much fire with a quick 5 points for both teams. The emotions of the players were shown during a jump ball with a little talk between some players, but no one let it escalate, and play resumed. Scoring was spread pretty evenly between Eagle’s players. Anthony Concepcion, Darius Washington, and Victor Perez each had a few 3 pointers, Gabriel Perez was strong in the paint to add a few points, and William Blet knocked down a few foul shots. And this was all in the fi rst few minutes. This ball movement and intensity of the Eastern team however, was well matched by Cabrini’s off ense. After a timeout by the Eagles with the score a close 19-17, Antonio Chapman established Eastern’s presence with a steal and a layup. Not long after that was the play of the night. After forcing a Cabrini turnover, the Eagles pushed the ball down the court, and executed a perfect alley-oop from Pena to Blet, who fi nished with an explosive one handed slam. This was an obvious momentum builder, as the whole gym ignited and put Eastern up 25-19. Cabrini called a timeout to regroup, and then executed their comeback spectacularly. Forcing Eastern turnovers and fouls, they shut Eagle scoring down and gained the fi rst lead of the game. The full court press and half court trap caused problems for Eastern, whose scoring came primarily in fast paced opportunities. At the half, Cabrini was up 33-36.
Austin James came out at the half with a 3 to put Eastern right back into it, and the game continued to be neck and neck. Every point was a battle, and it was always answered by a score from the other team. Fouls and free throws especially kept the teams going, with the foul count at 10-4 against Cabrini at one point. This led to a 60-60 tie game. Then, Eastern became undone as Cabrini executed a 14-4 run, and both teams ended up in the double bonus. A fi nal score of 62-68 was nothing to be ashamed of for the Eagle’s fi rst game of the season. Blet says, “I think we need to do better not falling apart when another team goes on a big run, making sure everyone stays with the same intensity on off ense and defense… I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, we got a lot of new guys and once we gel I think we’re going to be a very scary team.” Good luck to both teams on the rest of the season. It is obvious that the Eastern Eagles know how to
Daniel Finegan 
Will Cunningham 
Paul McConnell