The AU men’s basketball team finished its four-game road trip on a high note with a 75-43 victory in Loretto, Pa. as they gained a victory over St. Francis on Nov. 30.
It was the first home game at DeGol Arena for the St. Francis Red Flash, who began the season with six consecutive road games. However, it wasn’t quite the homecoming the Red Flash were hoping for.
The game was a blowout, with the Eagles (2-4, 0-0 PL) outperforming the St. Francis Red Flash (1-6, 0-0 NE) both offensively and defensively.
Less than five minutes into the game, the Eagles took the lead 9-8 after a dunk by junior forward Kyle Kager. His dunk set off a 8-0 run for the Eagles and would not relinquish the lead. Junior guard John Schoof and Kager each hit a 3-pointer midway through the half as AU cruised to a 33-20 lead at the midpoint.
The second half was more of the same as the Eagles again outscored the Red Flash, this time 42-23. To open the half, AU sophomore guard Jesse Reed put up the easy layup and Schoof hit another 3-pointer to get the ball rolling. Later, sophomore forward Marko Vasic came off the bench to contribute two free throws and a three-pointer on separate drives. Though the Red Flash fought well, the Eagles took control of the game and got the win with a final score of 75-43.
Reed had a standout performance with 20 points and six rebounds. Kager led the team in rebounds with seven and junior guard Darius Gardner contributed a team high eight assists. For the Red Flash, sophomore forward Stephen Mosley led the team with 12 points.
AU finished 53.8 percent shots made from the field compared to a 31.3 percent field goal percentage for St. Francis. AU players also shot well from outside the arc and scored 47.1 percent of the 3-pointers they attempted while St. Francis only converted 15.8 percent. In the same way, the Eagles outperformed the Red Flash on the boards. The Eagles outrebounded their opponents 42-20.
On Dec. 4, the Eagles return home to Bender Arena to take on Howard University.
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