BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's basketball team tied a school record with 18 three-pointers, and the Greyhounds had six players score in double figures as the Blue and Grey defeated DeSales University, 105-92, in non-conference action Tuesday evening in Johnston Hall.
Senior forward Brandon McGuire picked up his fourth double-double of the season with 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with a career-high six assists and two steals. Freshman guard C.J. Barnes netted a career-best 18 points to go with six rebounds and three assists while senior guards Sean Hanna and Isaiah Jennings each had 13 points and three assists.
Sophomore forward Oneil Holder added 12 points and three rebounds while sophomore forward Jake McGee had 11 points. Sophomore guard Jimmy Murray contributed with points while junior guard Matt Cardonne had three points. Sophomore guard Will Brazukas had two points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals while freshman guard Elijah Davis added two points.
"I thought it was a great team effort from start to finish," stated second-year Head Coach Justin Potts. "I thought the guys did a good job executing the game plan, and I thought we played aggressive and showed some good disciplined when we needed. We got a great lift off of our bench. As we continue to grow, we can do some good things. Tonight was about the seniors – Brandon and Sean had a great night and Isaiah gave us some great minutes. I was proud of how hard we competed and how together we were for 40 minutes."
Moravian, now 3-1 overall after its third straight victory, netted nine three-pointers in each half and shot 60.0 percent (18-of-30) beyond the three-point line to tie the mark of 18 three-pointers in a game set on December 8, 2012 in an 89-58 win over the United States Merchant Marine Academy. The Greyhounds were 18-of-33 against the Mariners four years ago.
Barnes led the way behind the three-point line, going 4-for-6 while Jennings and Hanna were both 3-for-4. McKee was 3-for-5 on the game while Murray was 2-for-2 and Holder was 2-for-3. Cardonne added the final three-pointer for the Hounds.
"The way we play, we're going to have the opportunities to catch and shoot threes," commented Potts. "Our guys play with a lot of freedom on that end of the floor and they know that. I didn't know we were that high during the game but I knew we were shooting it well. I give the guys credit since every guy was in the gym today, and that is part of what we say about believing in the process. If you keep doing those things, good things will happen. The credit goes to those guys. They've been working hard in getting shots up in practice and then finding time to shoot on their own as well."
Moravian took its first lead of the game, 5-4, on a three-pointer by Hanna, and the Greyhounds took the lead for good, 8-7, on a trey by Jennings with 16:05 left in the first half. Jenning's shot started a 14-0 run that saw the Greyhounds take a 19-7 lead on a fast break lay-up by Brazukas with 12:46 left in the half. The Hounds lead reached 13 points five times before the Blue and Grey headed to the locker room with a 55-44 advantage.
The Greyhounds had the lead dip below double figures just three times in the second half before pushing the advantage to 23 points, 94-71, on a Jennings three-pointer with 5:25 remaining. Holder hit the record-tying 18th three-pointer with 16 ticks on the clock to set the final score.
Moravian, which began the season with four games in eight days, now has a week off before returning to action on Wednesday, November 30 in a non-conference contest versus Delaware Valley University tipping off at 7:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall.
