Eagles Top Royals in Offensive Shootout, Pushing Head Coach Greg Curley to 300th Win Plataeu
SCRANTON, Pa.- The Juniata men's basketball team topped the University of Scranton, 80-78, Saturday afternoon as Evan Eisenhart's three in the final minute proved to be the difference. The win marked the 300th of head coach Greg Curley's career at Juniata.
Chase Husted had 19 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Eisenhart totaled 18 points, three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Mason Hardy contributed 15 points, a rebound, three assists and a steal, Tyler Lapetina added 13 points and a career-high eight assists, while Gabe Guidinger tallied 10 points, five assists, four rebounds, a steal and two blocks.
The Royals opened the game with a three; Guidinger found Eisenhart for an answer on the ensuing possession to make it 3-3 early. Back-to-back Husted jumpers, off assists from Guidinger and Lapetina, had JC up by four. A jumper and another three put the Royals back up by one 8-7, and the teams traded buckets for a bit.
With the score at 13-13, Eisenhart drilled another three off a Hardy pass to nudge JC back ahead. Neither team scored for nearly three minutes before a Royal free throw cut the lead back to two. Another two minutes passed before Scranton tied things with a jumper.
Scranton used some hot shooting to get ahead over the next few minutes, leading by 10, 38-28, with under four to go in the half. The Eagles closed the first half on a 12-2 run, with two Husted foul shots tying the score at 40-40 as the teams headed into the locker room at the half.
Both offenses were humming in the first half as each team shot over 50 percent from the floor, with Juniata making seven three-pointers in the half and the Royals making five of their own.
The second half featured more offensive exploits, and with just under seven to go in the game, the Royals led by five after a three.
An Eisenhart three and a Hardy jumper brought the Eagles even at 69, with Scranton countering with a midrange jumper to retake the lead. After an Eagle timeout, Husted scored inside to make it 71-71.
Lapetina converted a short floater at the foul line in the middle of the Scranton zone to give JC the lead back, and Hardy followed with a pullup jumper from the left elbow as the shot clock expired, making it 75-71 with two to play.
A pair of Royal foul shots and a layup erased the Eagles lead, Lapetina caught a pass from Guidinger in rhythm at the right elbow, turned and swished a jumper before the Royals drilled a three from the right wing with 40 seconds remaining to take a one-point lead.
On the other end, Guidinger flipped the ball to Eisenhart, who was several steps behind the top of the key, and he splashed his sixth three of the game to put the Eagles up for good, 80-78.
Scranton's final look from the right wing, a three, was short.
The game featured ten ties and 16 lead changes, with Juniata narrowly outrebounding the hosts, 28-22.
Juniata will host Elizabethtown on Wednesday at 7:00.