Wednesday, Jan. 24 in Juniata College’s Memorial Gymnasium, the Eagles held off the Elizabethtown College Blue Jays in a 75-64 loss. The Landmark Conference match started off close, with the Eagles leading 13-8 in the first five minutes.
Sophomore Connor Moffatt put three points on the board 2:12 into the game, with an assist from fellow sophomore Ethan DuBois.
Moffatt, who led the Blue Jays in scoring throughout the first half with 11 points, was disappointed that the team did not walk away with a win.
“We are a young and fairly inexperienced team, so we just need to keep getting better and learn how to win those tight games,” he said.
What began as a five-point lead soon grew into a 13 point advantage for Juniata, with 9:52 left in the first half. Thanks to multiple successful layups by the team and good free throws by DuBois and junior Michael Pastore, the gap was closed to 40-31.
The second half began with three points from sophomore Bryce Greene, assisted by DuBois.
Another three points added by junior Brandon Berry brought the Blue Jays one point away from taking the lead.
This did not last, as the Eagles racked up 10 more points in a span of five minutes.
All the key players, including DuBois, Greene, Berry, Pastore and Moffatt, added to the score before the end of the game.
DuBois felt ready for Wednesday’s game and went in knowing “that playing against a good experienced team on their home court was going to be tough.”
Even though the match ended in Juniata’s favor, DuBois recognized there were big plays, including Berry’s three point shot in the second half.
Following the game against the Eagles, Etown hosted the University of Scranton at Thompson Gymnasium Saturday, Jan. 27.
This Landmark Conference match ended in another defeat for the Blue Jays, with the Royals winning 73-64.
Moffatt started the first half with a three pointer for Etown, getting the Jays off to a good start. Scranton began to pull away and were up 20-10 with 9:33 left in the first half. Etown got within six points of their opponent with 6:44 left in the half, but the Royals managed to pull away again with a 13 point lead at the end of the first half. Greene fought hard to close the gap when the play resumed.
A three point by DuBois 6:29 into the second half made the match a one point game.
The Royals continued to add points to the board until they walked away victorious.
Greene, who had 12 straight points for the Blue Jays in the second half, noted that while they did not win, the team is constantly improving.
“We’re getting better day in and day out, so it’s important that we learn from this loss and continue to push forward,” Greene said.
Etown will be on the road again against Moravian College this Saturday, Feb. 3 at 4 p.m.
