Eagles Clipped by #11 Crusaders, 60-55

SELINSGROVE, Pa.- Juniata men's basketball faced off against undefeated and #11 Susquehanna on Wednesday night at Houts Gymnasium. The Crusaders led by as much as 18 points early in the second half and the Eagles could not recover as they fell 60-55. The loss drops JC to 11-4 overall and 4-2 in the Landmark. SU remains perfect at 15-0 and 6-0 in the conference.

Marcus Lee (Carrolltown, Pa./Bishop Carroll) was the only Eagle player to score in double figures as he put up 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Brandon Martinazzi (Cresson, Pa. /Bishop Carroll) added nine points while Justin Fleming (Richmond, Va./Benedictine College Prep) chipped in eight points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

The Crusaders got out to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes of the first half but a 10-4 Eagle run quickly turned the score in Juniata's favor, 10-9, at the 15:02 mark. The two teams traded baskets and the lead changed hands five times in almost 10 minutes of game time. Kyle Koehler's (Chester Springs, Pa./Devon Prep) three- point shot followed by a jumper from Lee put the Eagles up 21-16 with 4:24 remaining in the half. An 8-2 run by SU, however, swung the lead back to the Crusaders as they led by one point, 24-23, at the break.

A 21-8 run that covered over the first eight minutes of the second half staked the Crusaders to a 49-31 lead with 11:53 showing on the game clock. SU looked to run away with it but the Blue and Gold slowly began to chip away at the deficit as a 12-2 run that covered nearly four minutes of game time narrowed the JC deficit to eight points, 51-43, at 6:40. Lee was a big factor in the run as he tallied eight points.

SU was able to restore its advantage to double digits, leading 56-43 with 3:15 to play. A 9-3 Eagle run moved JC to seven points, 59-52, with 16 ticks left. Fleming was able to get Juniata to 60-55 after nailing a three-point attempt with 11 seconds left. A foul by Fleming put Tyler Hoagland on the free throw line but he would miss both of his attempts. Lee came down with the rebound following the second miss and Damon Rickens' (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) three-point try with three seconds left to make it a one-possession game was off the mark and went out of bounds. Susquehanna then took over to run out the clock and take the victory.

The Juniata defense held Susquehanna to its lowest shooting percentage of the season as the Crusaders shot 21-of-50 (42%) from the field. The Eagles, however, has their lowest offense output to date as they made 20-of-56 (35.7%) of their shots from the floor.

SU outrebounded JC 33-32 and also enjoyed a 16-6 advantage in the paint. Juniata did have a higher bench production with a 13-5 lead.

The Eagles next travel to Kings Point, N.Y. to face Merchant Marine on Saturday. Tip off will be at 2 p.m.