The AU men’s basketball team won in Easton, Pa. Saturday, beating the Lafayette Leopards 76-66.
AU got off to a quick start, hitting their first four shots of the game to take a 10-5 lead. The dominance would not continue, as Lafayette went on a 10-0 run to give the Leopards a 25-23 lead. The game remained close throughout the first half with AU leading 35-33 entering halftime.
Nick Hendra scored AU’s first eight points of the second half to give the Eagles a 43-38 lead. The Eagles still could not put Lafayette away, as Leopards forward Jared Mintz scored eight points to tie the game at 53. The eight points were part of an 11-2 Lafayette run.
On the next possession, however, AU guard Joe Hill drained a three to give the Eagles a 56-53 lead. Forward Stephen Lumpkins scored on AU’s next two possessions, extending the Eagles’ lead to 60-55.
Lafayette got back within three points after guard Jeff Kari hit two free throws. On the next possession, Lumpkins hit a layup to put AU’s lead back at five with 2:49 left to go. A three from Vlad Moldoveanu with 1:04 left sealed the victory for the Eagles.
Moldoveanu led all scorers with 21 points. This comes after a 37 point performance against Navy on Wednesday, when he scored more than half of the Eagles’ points. He also recorded six rebounds, one steal and one assist in 31 minutes of play on Saturday. Moldoveanu is now averaging 20.2 points on the season.
Lumpkins came two rebounds short of recording his fourth double double of the season. He also had a career high five assists.
With the win, AU moves into second place in the Patriot League with a 4-3 record in conference play.
Part of the team’s recent success can be attributed to their better shooting percentage. In their last two games, they were shooting over 50 percent, something they struggled with earlier in the season. Saturday’s game also marked the third straight game where AU had 20 or more assists.
AU’s next game will be at home against Lehigh on Feb. 6 at 2:00 p.m. Lehigh is 13-8 on the season with a 4-2 record in Patriot League play. The team is coming off a loss to Bucknell on Thursday. AU and Lehigh are currently tied for second place in the conference.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
