Vlad Moldoveanu scored 18 points and Stephen Lumpkins recorded his second straight double double, as AU ended a three game losing streak with a 57-54 victory over Army last night.
AU got off to a hot start by making five of their first six three-pointers and jumping out to a 31-19 halftime lead. Moldoveanu dominated the game right from the start, scoring 12 points in the first 10 minutes. It was not until Army began to double team him on every touch that other Eagles made it on to the score sheet.
AU's defense did a great job shutting down Army's leading scorer, Cleveland Richard. They held him to just three points on four shots in the first half. However, Richard opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers and Army cut the lead to three. A Lumpkins dunk, a free throw and a Moldoveanu three brought AU's lead back to nine.
Army fought back once again, tying the game at 48 and giving AU its biggest scare of the night. Daniel Munoz missed the front end of a one and one with three and a half minutes left, but Moldoveanu hit his fourth three of the night, giving AU a 51-48 lead with three minutes left. They would not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game.
Army cut the lead to one, after Nathan Hedgecock banked in a three with 15 seconds to go. Two free throws by Nick Hendra put AU up by three and Richard's shot at the buzzer fell out giving AU the 57-54 victory. Richard was held to just 11 points on 4-15 shooting and was frustrated by the AU defense all day.
Sophomore Joe Hill also matched a career high with 12 points, the result of four three-pointers. Hill was one of four Eagles, along with Moldoveanu, Lumpkins and Nick Hendra to score double figures. Sophomore Simon McCormack added six points to go along with six assists.
The win brings AU to 5-6 in the Patriot League and 8-18 overall. The win also moves AU into sole possession of fifth place in the Patriot League, with only three games remaining on the schedule. While AU is out of contention for a regular season championship, they are still playing for seeding in the conference tournament at the end of the season. The tournament's winner gets a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
AU's next game will be Sunday Feb. 21 at the College of Holy Cross. The Eagles beat Holy Cross 71-64 at home on Jan. 23.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com
