Senior guards Derrick Mercer and Garrison Carr continued to roll offensively, scoring 17 and 13 points, respectively in the Eagles' 58-36 victory over the Army Black Knights on Wednesday night. The win was the seventh straight for the team and 10th this year on the road - one of only five Division I teams to win 10 road games this season.
The Eagles started the game red hot and never looked back.
A 12-2 run in the first six minutes of the game, highlighted from three three-pointers and 10 points overall by Carr gave the Eagles the commanding lead.
The Black Knights quickly cut the margin to within four but this would be as close as Army got during the entire game.
The Eagles went on a 19-4 run over the final 10 minutes of the first half, with Mercer scoring five-consecutive points at during one stretch to give the Eagles a 33-14 lead at halftime. The 14 points were the fewest the Eagles allowed in the first half of a game this season.
The Eagles continued to keep their foot on the proverbial pedal, keeping the Black Knights down by more than 15 points throughout the rest of the game.
AU increased its lead to a game-high 25 points following a 7-3 run with just over four minutes remaining in the ball game to go up 58-33 on a layup by sophomore guard Nick Hendra.
While these were the last points the Eagles scored for the remainder of the game, they limited Army to only three more points to hold on for the comfortable 58-36 win.
As strong as AU's offense was, their defense was just as stifling, holding Army to only 27.1 percent shooting on the game, hitting only 13 field goals during the entire game.
With the win, the Eagles now head into the showdown with the College of the Holy Cross at 2 p.m. Saturday, with first place and home court advantage in the Patriot League tournament on the line. The Eagles currently hold a one-game lead over the Crusaders with three games remaining in the regular season.
You can reach this staff writer at jhall@theeagleonline.com.
