A strong second half powered the AU men’s basketball team to victory Feb. 18, as the Eagles defeated Army 74-50 in West Point, N.Y.
The Eagles (18-9, 9-3 PL) outscored the Black Knights (12-15, 5-7 PL) 44-25 in the second half.
“Coach Jones really emphasized on cutting down the turnovers and to step up on defense,” said Charles Hinkle, who recorded a game-high 18 points and seven rebounds. “Once we did that, things really started to click on offense.”
AU’s win keeps it tied for second place in the Patriot League with Lehigh University and just one game behind Bucknell University. Two conference contests are left in the season for the Eagles, including one against the Bison Feb. 23 at Bender Arena.
The Eagles got off to a nice start, taking an early 11-5 lead five minutes into the game. Army then responded with a 10-0 run to take a 15-11 edge halfway through the first half.
The remainder of the half saw eight lead changes and three ties, with the Eagles able to take a 30-25 lead at the half.
Tony Wroblicky was a key contributor over the first 20 minutes for the Eagles, posting eight points and four rebounds on 4-7 shooting. The center finished the contest with 10 points and five rebounds.
The Eagles came out firing on all cylinders in the second half, as they used an early 12-5 run to open up a double-digit lead they never relinquished.
Leading 34-29 with 17:04 remaining, AU went on the run that saw them take a 46-34 lead.
The Eagles controlled the action from there, leading by at least 10 points for the game’s remaining 12 minutes.
“[The run] was huge,” said Daniel Munoz, who recorded eight points and a career-high 10 assists. “It was a back-and-forth type of defensive battle, but that run really got our offense on the right track.”
One of the keys to the game for the Eagles was their season-best shooting percentage from the field (32-53, 60 percent), while holding Army to just 33 percent shooting from the floor (16-49).
AU also shot 50 percent from beyond the arc at 7-14, while the Black Knights misfired on 18 of their 21 3-point shot attempts.
The win by the Eagles sets up the showdown with conference-leading Bucknell Thursday at Bender Arena at 7 p.m.
The Bison had their 20-game Patriot League winning streak snapped Feb. 16, when they fell to Lehigh 56-53. They then lost two days later at Holy Cross 54-52 after scoring 10 first half points.
Following the game against Bucknell, the Eagles will take on Lafayette College Feb. 25 at Bender Arena, with the Patriot League Tournament set to get underway Feb. 29.
Both the Bucknell and Lafayette games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
