WASHINGTON,DC--Jonathan Valencia scored a team-high 20 points
off 4-for-6 shooting from downtown, and 7-for-11 from the field.
Jon Mowl doled out a team-high five assists along with 15 points
while Sekoe White added 10 notches of his own. These numbers were
not strong enough to hold off visiting Mary Washington, as they
prevailed over the Bison 73-62.
This game saw heated action as the Buff and Blue weaved through
the Eagle's full-court man-to-man press and worked against Mary
Washington's transition defense. The Eagles, renown for their
propensity to attack from beyond the arc using any one of their
five players on the floor, started driving between the blocks and
taking advantage of their 6'6 Ben Oliven and 6'5 Jon Pierce,
who edged Valencia for game-high scoring honors with 21 points.
The game went to halftime with a six point Eagle lead, 39-33
after Gallaudet had chipped away at a 15-point deficit from strong
inside play off Sekoe White, Matt Eby and Jonathan Valencia's
long-range performance.
Jon Mowl opened the second half with a shot from downtown.
Minutes later, Johnny Jackson went in the paint and posted a
basket, setting up a key play. Mowl stole the ensuing Eagle inbound
pass and made a clutch layup to bring the game within one, 48-47.
The Bison evened the game when senior reserve center Kazeem
Babatunde drained a 12-footer, and the lead would seesaw between
teams until costly Bison fouls and turnovers stopped Gallaudet's
scoring momentum.
The Eagles converted scoring opportunities and trips to the free
throw line to pull away and end the game on top by 11 points. They
improved to 14-7, 8-5 CAC while the Bison dropped to 4-18, 1-12
CAC. The Bison travel to St. Mary's College of Maryland
(11-9, 6-6 CAC) on Saturday, February 10. The ball goes up at 4
p.m.