Men’s basketball drops Landmark Conference opener

Men’s basketball drops Landmark Conference opener

Elizabethtown’s men’s basketball team fell to Moravian College on the road Saturday, Dec. 3.

The Blue Jays fought the Greyhounds hard in the first half, keeping it at no more than a two-possession game until the last two minutes before halftime. After a steal by Moravian player Elijah Davis and a fast-break layup by his teammate Isaiah Jennings, Moravian pulled away, leading the Blue Jays 36-28.

Etown managed to get back in the game when senior Matt Lapkowicz sunk back-to-back threes leaving the Blue Jays only trailing by two. The score was 38-35 at the half after sophomore Matt Thomas was fouled and hit one of his two foul shots.

A Landmark Conference opener for both teams, the Jays and the Greyhounds continued to battle it out in the second half. Thomas hit a layup bringing Etown back to a two-point deficit with only 11:52 left in the game.

Despite Etown’s many comebacks throughout the game, the Greyhounds extended their lead as the half played out. First-year Moravian player C.J. Barnes scored eight points straight against the Blue Jays. With 6:00 left on the clock, Moravian dominated Etown with a 17-point lead. The Greyhounds managed to hold onto the lead until the end, walking away with a 76-63 win over the Blue Jays.

After a strong first half, Etown was unable to keep up with Moravian in the second half of the game. “I think we played well in the first half,” sophomore Jamil Pines-Elliott said, “but I think because of our struggles with free throws and turnovers, we held ourselves back [in the second half].”

First-year Bryce Greene agreed with his teammate saying, “as a whole, there is a lot of talent [on the team],” but they “have to continue to work on execution and closing games out.” He also said the team needs to continue playing the way they are and develop momentum to win during the remainder of the season

Senior Josh Eden was a standout player, scoring a team high of 19 points for the Blue Jays. He scored 14 points in the first half, but only managed one field goal in the second. Senior Jake Sweger followed Eden with 10 points and was the only other Etown player to score double digits. Lapowicz and first-year Ethan DuBois followed their teammates scoring eight points each.

“I think this team is really good,” Pines-Elliott said. “We’re 2-4, but I don’t think our record tells the story of the team and this season. As a team, we want to make the Landmark Conference playoffs […] and I believe we can do it.”

The Blue Jays hosted Cairn University on Tuesday night in a non-conference battle. Cairn led for most of the game except when it mattered most. With the clock winding down, sophomore Michael Pastore hoisted up a three-pointer that banked in and gave the Blue Jays a 68-67 victory.

Etown is now 3-0 at Thompson Gymnasium this season and will travel to Washington (Maryland) College on Friday night for another non-conference matchup.

 

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