Senior guard Darius “Pee Wee” Gardner did it again. For the second consecutive game, Gardner nailed a jump shot to beat the buzzer on Saturday, Jan.17. This time, the Eagles defeated the Lafayette Leopards 78-76.
Gardner lead the charge for the Eagles, scoring 19 points and dishing out nine assists. This is the third game where Pee Wee had hit a shot to either win the game or send it into overtime.
"Pee Wee is a special player and we are lucky to have him," head coach Mike Brennan said in a press release. "I thought we did well on offense today, but our defense let up late in the game. It was another Patriot League game that came down to two points and the final possession."
The Eagles scored 45 points in the second half, their highest scoring half this year. Four players finished the game in double digit scoring for only the second time this season. The Eagles also set season highs in field goals and field goal percentage, hitting 30 of their 50 shots (60 percent).
Sophomore forward Charlie Jones had one of the best games of his career, scoring 15 of his 18 points in the second half. Jones added five rebounds, two assists and four steals to his impressive night. Guards Jesse Reed and John Schoof scored 15 and 11 points, respectively.
AU’s highest scoring game of the season saw four of the starting five playing all 40 minutes. Jones joined “Iron Men” Gardner, Schoof and Reed in this feat.
The Eagles (11-7, 4-2 PL) were still outrebounded 32-22, and Lafayette (11-6, 3-3 PL) also added 10 second chance points. However, the Eagles have continued to force their opponents into turnovers, and they turned eight Lafayette turnovers into 16 points.
AU will travel to the heart of New England, as they take on Boston University on Jan. 21. This will be the first meeting between the teams since the 2014 Patriot League Championship game that launched the Eagles into NCAA Tournament.
mholt@theeagleonline.com
