Updated: 6:00 a.m. 3/1/10
With a little help from Colgate University, the AU men’s basketball team secured the fourth seed in the Patriot League tournament with a 78-60 win over Lafayette College.
Vlad Moldoveanu led all scorers with 26 points and gave AU the intensity it needed to win. He scored the Eagles’ first eight points of the game, and AU never looked back from there.
“Tonight was big; I wanted to get out there and go play hard,” Moldoveanu said.
Sixth man Steve Luptak entered the game and made an immediate impact, quickly hitting back-to-back three pointers. His six points gave AU a double-digit lead they would never relinquish.
Stephen Lumpkins and Moldoveanu took over the remainder of the game. They had a knack for finding each other all day. Whether in the paint or on the outside, both were able to create and execute solid plays throughout the game.
Lumpkins sent Bender Arena in to a frenzy just before half time. With AU cruising, Lumpkins took the ball down low and slammed it home for two points, hitting another layup just over 30 seconds later.
Moldoveanu hit one more big shot before the end of the half. As time expired Moldoveanu drained a three from the corner to give AU a 45-26 lead going into halftime.
Coming out of the intermission, Lafayette stepped up their defensive intensity. AU continued to find scoring easy despite the Leopards’ improved defense. Lumpkins yet again exploited them down low, as he pushed the lead to 21 with another dunk just 20 seconds into the second half.
AU has not had many large leads this season, and they seemed uneasy in the new territory. With six and a half minutes left in the game Lafayette pushed the score to 65-54.
“We haven’t been in that situation much this season, playing with a big lead,” AU Head Coach Jeff Jones said. “We just need to know to keep playing smart.”
Lafayette took advantage of sloppy AU passes and ill-advised shots. A run of good outside shooting allowed them to close the gap to eleven, but Lafayette never got any closer.
AU pulled it together down the stretch and pulled away as the final seconds ticked away. Lumpkins led all players with 12 rebounds, to go along with his 24 points for the only double-double of the game.
With the win, the Eagles continue their run of never finishing below .500 in the Patriot League. The last time AU finished below .500 in conference play was in the 2000-01 season, when they finished 3-13 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
AU will face rival Navy in the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament, Wednesday in Bender Arena. The Eagles won both of their meetings this season. The last time the two teams met on Feb. 24, the game went into double overtime.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
