Danny Munoz’s game-winning three-pointer as time expired is the play that fans will remember, but his play throughout the overtime period is why the Eagles (10-15, 5-5, PL) beat Holy Cross (11-14, 3-7, PL) 64-61 on Feb. 17.
Munoz became the deciding factor once overtime started. Munoz’s shooting in the first two halves was dreadful. The senior point guard shot 3-14 and 0-5 from 3-point range. But Munoz made all three shots he took in overtime, including two deep 3-pointers, one of which was the game winner.
“The first two halves were not my thing,” Munoz said. “But the looks were there. They were good looks, so I had to keep shooting them. Thankfully they fell in overtime.”
Munoz did have good shots in the first two halves, but the shots in overtime weren’t easy.
“The fact that he had that aggressive mindset,” Jones said about his point guard. “He was attacking. When he’s like that I think the rest of our team kinda follows suit, and we certainly play better.”
One player that followed suit was Stephen Lumpkins.
Munoz carried the Eagles in overtime, but Lumpkins helped carry the team in regulation.
“We knew it was a big game today,” Lumpkins said. “All week Coach had been talking to us about getting ready.”
Lumpkins was certainly ready. AU dominated the paint. Lumpkins was a large reason why, outscoring Holy Cross 30-18 in the painted area.
The senior forward scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and nabbed three assists.
“Holy Cross has a similar record to us,” Lumpkins said. “And it’s a rivalry game. So we wanted to go out and get it, and we ended up on top.”
Lumpkins did not do it all in the first two halves. He had help from John Schoof.
Schoof rebounded well after a tough game against Lehigh. The sharpshooting sophomore scored 15 points and had four rebounds and five assists.
Schoof had another strong game from beyond the arc going 4-for-7. He ranks in the top 15 in the nation in three-point shooting.
The Eagles travel to Navy (7-19, 1-9 PL) for their next game on Feb. 20.
sports@theeagleonline.com
