Tony Wroblicky recorded a career-high 18 points and 17 rebounds along with four blocks in just 24 minutes of play to lead AU past Lehigh University 71-62 Feb. 9 at Bender Arena.
“Tonight, everything came together,” Wroblicky said. “I was scoring and I was able to rebound. I’ve gotten better offensively, and tonight was the culmination.”
With the Eagles’ (16-8, 7-2 PL) seventh conference win of the season, they move into sole possession of second place in the Patriot League while remaining undefeated at home 10-0.
The opening few minutes of the game saw back-and-forth action until the Mountain Hawks (18-7, 6-3 PL) went on a 13-0 run to build a 21-10 lead with 12:07 to go until halftime.
AU called a timeout following the Lehigh run, and responded with an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to two.
“At various times, it didn’t really look like it was our night,” AU Head Coach Jeff Jones said. “But to give credit to our kids, they really bounced back and refused to give in.”
The two squads traded baskets over the next 10 minutes, and Lehigh led 34-31 with 3:01 left in the first half. But the Eagles closed the opening 20 minutes strong, going on a 9-2 run that gave them a 40-36 halftime advantage.
Charles Hinkle’s 3-pointer capped AU’s spurt, as the senior scored 11 of his 15 points before halftime.
The Eagles kept a slim lead for almost all 20 minutes of the second half, never allowing the Mountain Hawks to take back the lead. Troy Brewer played a big role, scoring 11 points on 5-7 shooting from the field in the final 20 minutes.
He also defended C.J. McCollum, one of the nation’s top scorers, who poured in 30 points, but needed 29 shots to reach that total. McCollum ranks seventh in the country, averaging 21.7 points per game.
“C.J. is just one of those guys who is really good; he’s going to score,” Brewer said. “The thing you have to do is control the other players and do your best with him.”
That’s exactly what AU was able to do, as the Eagles only allowed one other Mountain Hawk (Jordan Hamilton, 11 points) to reach double figures while holding their other three starters below their season averages.
Simon McCormack also played well for the Eagles, recording five points while giving AU a spark off the bench.
“He had a monster game in terms of effort and energy,” Jones said. “He got us going. There’s not a chance we win that game without Simon’s contributions.”
Now that the Eagles have taken control of the No. 2 spot in the conference, they’ll look to keep their momentum going in Worcester, Mass., when they take on Holy Cross Feb. 11.
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