After last night's wire-to-wire 68-64 win over Bucknell at Bender Arena, the men's basketball team found they are now on a four game winning streak, something they had not accomplished all year.
Junior Bryce Simon got the Eagles' offense going from the start with two early three-point shots. With 5:54 left in the first half, junior Garrison Carr hit his 100th three-pointer of the season, breaking the Patriot League record for most threes in a season.
"Individual accolades are great, and obviously I'm happy with it," Carr said. "But mostly I'm going to keep doing what I have to do to keep winning."
Carr's 100th basket was part of a small AU run that extended the lead to 10 points. The teams went back and forth the rest of the way, and the Eagles took a 35-24 lead into halftime.
The Eagles continued to surge at the start of the second half. They extended the lead to 14 as a result of a 13-5 run that carried over from the first half. As Bucknell would prove all game long, the Eagles lead was never quite big enough.
The Bison answered with a 10-1 run of their own to cut the lead to five points. But once again, Carr had the answer. He hit three-pointers on two consecutive possessions to re-establish the Eagles' control over the game.
"The help defense was a little late, and it just gave him the edge," Coach Jeff Jones said in reference to Carr.
However, just when it seemed that the game was over, the Bison came storming back. They cut the lead all the way down to three points, punctuated by one of Bison guard John Griffin's eight three-pointers. But the Eagles held strong and made their free throws while a Bison turnover on their penultimate possession sealed the win.
Carr led the Eagles with 24 points and four rebounds, while juniors Derrick Mercer and Simon scored 12 and 10 points respectively. Mercer also led the team with six assists.
With the win, the Eagles improved their record to 7-3 in the conference and 15-10 overall. Combined with second place Lafayette's loss last night, AU extended their lead atop the Patriot League to a game and half. Their next game is on the road Sunday at Colgate.
