The Rebound With Shelly Lister

Breakdown of Eagle’s Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams

Men’s Basketball

The EU Men’s Basketball  (EUMB) team has earned an overall record of 9-11 as of Feb. 5. In the MAC Freedom Conference the Eagles have a record of 3-6, placing sixth out of the eight teams. The Delaware Valley Aggies lead the conference with a record of 7-2, followed by the DeSales University Bulldogs. The Eagles have lost a series of close games, making their current standing all the more disheartening.

On Fri., Jan. 22, the Eagles faced the Misericordia Cougars in the EU gymnasium. The Eagles outplayed the Cougars throughout the game, wrapping up the match with a score of 96-62. Malcolm Garrison put up 24 points for EUMB, including five 3-pointers. Shaquan Turk added another 17 points and 12 total rebounds, all on the defensive end. Though the Eagles were able to earn a big conference win, their luck was exhausted in the games to follow.

On Jan. 27, EUMB traveled to Center Valley, PA to play DeSales University. The Bulldogs outscored the Eagles by only a few points in each half. The first half ended with a Bulldogs lead of 35-33; in the second half, DeSales outscored the Eagles by a mere 4 points. The Eagles lost by a close score of 81-75, a very disappointing outcome against a competitive team. Turk led the Eagles in scoring with a total of 19 points and Garrison put up another 20. Austin Carroll also dished out 7 assists to his fellow teammates. Even so, the Eagles were unable to protect the net on the defensive end.

In another away game, EUMB matched up against Delaware Valley University. In a heartbreaking loss, the Eagles fell short by just 2 points, ending with a final score of 72-70. Going into halftime the Eagles led by a score of 40-23. In the second half, however, Delaware Valley outscored the Eagles 49-30. Once again, Turk led in scoring with 20 points. Turk and Victor Peña both finished with 8 boards. After the game, Coach McNelley commented, “We had this game in our possession but couldn’t make a stop when it counted and let another one slip away.”

On Feb. 3, EUMB faced off on their home court against Wilkes University. Wilkes led the first half by just a single point. In the second half, both teams fought to take the lead, but no one came out on top. The game was sent into overtime with a score of 80-80. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Colonels took control in overtime to outscore them 17-10. In yet another heartbreaker, the Eagles were unable to pull through and secure the game.

Join EUMB on Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. as they face off against King’s College at home, and again on Saturday Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. against Manhattanville College.

Women’s Basketball

While the EU Women’s Basketball (EUWB)team has certainly fought hard in conference play, the Eagles have yet to string together a series of wins to give them a competitive edge. The Eagles have maintained a fairly even record, standing with an overall record of 10-10 as of Feb. 5. In the conference, EUWB has a record of 4-5, which only puts them at sixth in the MAC Freedom Conference standings. The Bulldogs of DeSales University currently lead the conference with a record of 8-1, their only loss coming from Delaware Valley University. Currently ranked second in the conference is Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham with a record of 7-2.  EUWB will have a chance to make big moves in the conference through the month of February.

The Eagles were set to play the Cougars of Misericordia University on Sat., Jan., 23. However, amidst the inclimate weather of Winter Storm Jonas, the game was moved one day earlier to Fri., Jan., 22. With snow already falling outside, the Eagles quickly had to switch to a game-time mindset on a day they were only supposed to have a routine practice.

Misericordia came out strong in the first quarter, putting up 23 points to top the Eagles’ 18. However, the Eagles were able to slowly fight their way back. EUWB outscored the Cougars in the second quarter, cutting the halftime score to 36-34 with the Cougars still in the lead. The Eagles came out strong in the second half, and were able to secure the win by a final score of 70-65. Taylor Price finished the night with 20 points, while Emily Lavin added another 18. Regie Robinson led the Eagles in rebounds, pulling down a total of 10.

On Jan. 27 the Eagles matched up against the conference leading DeSales University. With a final score of 71-52, the Eagles were unable to ever gain a lead. Even still, Robinson managed to put up an impressive 20 points for the Eagles. EUWB gave up 32 turnovers to the Bulldogs, their most since mid-November.

Just three days later, EUWB matched up against Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, Pa. In yet another frustrating battle, the Eagles fell short with a final score of 77-64. Lavin ended with a double-double, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Eagles managed to outscore the Aggies 39-34 in the second half, but this 5-point difference wasn’t enough to make up for the deficit of the first half.

On Wed., Feb. 3, Wilkes University traveled to St. Davids to face the Eagles. From the start, the Eagles came out much more dominant than they had in previous games. The Eagles outscored the Colonels throughout the game, and were able to secure a solid 76-47 victory. Robinson finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds, and Amanda Riiff added another 17 points. Point guard Emily McPeak was able to move the ball and dish out 6 assists. This big win has encouraged the Eagles in the midst of a frustrating season.

On Feb. 10, the Eagles will match up against Kings College at 6 p.m. in the EU gymnasium. Another home game will take place on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. Go out and support EUWB!