Men’s basketball finished strong in the final minutes to conquer Dickinson

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Juniata College men's basketball was tied against Dickinson College 60-60 with less than three minutes left in the game, yet the Eagles would not let up in the final minutes, as they conquered the Red Devils, 64-60, Monday night in Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center. 

The first two minutes off the tip off were scoreless until Alex Raymond (Hollidaysburg, Pa./Altoona Area) sent Dickinson's Matt Dolan to the free throw line for two points. 

After junior center Austin Ankney's (Somerset, Pa./Somerset) layup, freshman guard Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W.Va./John Marshall) got off to a good start and sunk a three off of an assist by Bruce Knowles (Duncannon, Pa./Susquenita). Brian Scholly (State College, Pa./State College Area) drained a three, and Hays finished a layup to put the Eagles ahead 10-2 off the tip off. 

The Eagles (3-3) gained a 13-4 lead with just under 12 minutes left on the clock.  However, the Devils tied the Eagles 15-15 as Tim Berguson (Mansfield, Pa./Mansfield) sent Dickinson's Matt Dolan to the free throw line with just under eight minutes left.  Hays made contact with Brian Gearney to send him to the line and put Dickinson up for the first time, 17-15, with seven left on the clock. 

Raymond and Pat Cassidy (Holidaysburg, Holidaysburg) were the players to pick up the pace again for the Eagles, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to get in the game. 

The Eagles were up 33-28 at the end of the first half. 

The two teams battled it out in the start of the second half, but Juniata remained in control until Dickinson got up by two with 3:11 on the clock off Matt Dolan's layup and free throw shot. 

Scholly and Dan Sekulski (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone Area) had free throw trouble with less than two minutes left. Scholly grabbed a crucial rebound with 25 seconds left, drew a foul and finished one foul shot.  Cassidy grabbed another defensive rebound off of Dickinson's Brian Gearney's missed three-pointer. Cassidy drew the final foul and finished both free throws to secure Juniata's 64-60 lead. 

Hays paced the Eagles offense with 22 points, while Raymond finished with 13. Scholly had a game high of ten rebounds.  Adam Honig totaled 12 points for Dickinson.  

The Eagles held a 34-33 edge in rebounds.  Juniata committed 17 turnovers while Dickinson turned the ball over 21 times.

Juniata will be back on the road again, traveling to its first Landmark Conference match versus Susquehanna University, Saturday, Dec. 4, in Selinsgrove, Pa. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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