The men's basketball team rode a wave of hot shooting this past week en route to two victories over Patriot League foes, putting the team in a tie for second place in the conference.
In their Patriot League home opener on Saturday, and first game since a seven-game road trip, the Eagles defeated the Raiders of Colgate University 65-57. Led by junior Garrison Carr, the Eagles tied a season high with 42 first-half points. Carr, averaging 23.75 points per game in conference play, hit four three-point shots and scored 16 points in the first half, while junior Bryce Simon added two more three-point shots as the Eagles shot 53 percent from beyond the arc and 54 percent overall. They went into halftime with a 14-point lead.
However, the second half was a different story. The Raiders stepped up on defense, refusing to give up the open shots the Eagles capitalized on in the first half and holding AU to just 25 percent shooting in the second half. Colgate controlled the tempo and momentum for most of the half and steadily chipped away at the AU lead, cutting it away to as little as two points with just less than one minute remaining in the game.
The Eagles responded on their next possession. Junior Jordan Nichols grabbed an offensive rebound and went right back up to the basket with it, making a lay-up and extending the lead. The Eagles stood tall on defense, and junior Derrick Mercer put the game away with four free throws. Carr led all scorers with 22 points, while Mercer added 13.
AU won their second straight game Wednesday night, defeating the Black Knights of Army at West Point, 66-53. The Eagles got early contributions from two unlikely sources as junior Brian Gilmore scored 13 first-half points and junior Cornelio Gulbunda had six rebounds, including four on the offensive end to give AU a 35-27 halftime lead.
Once again, AU's opponent made a second half comeback. The Black Knights cut the lead to as close as six points with six minutes left. Carr answered right back, responding with a three-point shot. Bryce Simon followed with a three-point shot of his own on the Eagles' next possession to seal the game.
The Eagles improved to 3-1 in Patriot League play and 11-8 overall. Their next game is Saturday at home against Holy Cross at 2 p.m. when the AU Blue Crew hosts Phil Bender 2008.
