ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's basketball team rallied past host Elizabethtown College in the second half to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a 79-63 victory in Landmark Conference action Saturday afternoon.
The Greyhounds, who were starting a four-game road trip on Saturday, improve to 14-7 overall and 7-3 in Landmark Conference play with four games remaining in the regular season.
"Today was a great team win," commented Head Coach Justin Potts. "Winning on road in conference is never easy. We got off to a slow start but did a great job in 2nd half with our pressure and defense. Oneil, Brandon and Jimmy gave us a good lift today. I'm proud of the guys for staying with things today and getting the win."
Moravian had three players in double figures with senior forward Brandon McGuire picking up his second straight and 10th double-double of the season with 20 points and 14 rebounds. It was his 28th career double-double as McGuire became the 13th player in school history to reach 1,200 points with 1,205, and he moved into fifth in career rebounds with 695. Sophomore forward Oneil Holder contributed 14 points, five boards, five assists and three steals while sophomore guard Jimmy Murray added 12 points.
Senior guard Sean Hanna had nine points; three rebounds and two assists for the Hounds while sophomore forward Jake McGee and freshman guard C.J. Barnes both had eight points and three boards. Sophomore guard Will Brazukas contributed six points, three steals and a pair of rebounds while freshman guard Elijah Davis added two points. Senior guard Isaiah Jennings was kept off the scoreboard but had five steals, three assists and three rebounds while freshman forward John Hargraves pulled down two boards.
Elizabethtown scored the first points of the game before an 8-0 run by Moravian had the Greyhounds take an 8-2 lead on a lay-up by McGee with 16:16 left in the first half. McGee pushed the Hounds' advantage to seven points, 15-8, with 13:59 on the clock before the Blue Jays would get within a point. The Greyhounds moved back ahead by five, 19-14, after a Hanna bucket midway through the half.
Elizabethtown closed within a point again before a three-point play by McGee and a lay-up by Davis had the Hounds up 24-18 with 8:40 left in the first half. The Blue Jays would score seven straight points to go ahead 25-24 before Holder hit a lay-up to put Moravian back in front. McGuire connected on a lay-up to give the Blue and Grey a 32-31 edge with 3:01 before halftime but the Greyhounds would not score again in the rest of the half as Elizabethtown headed for the locker room with a 38-32 lead after 20 minutes of action.
Moravian closed the gap slowly to start the second half, and the Hounds moved back in front, 45-44, on a three-point play from Barnes with 14:46 left to play. The Blue Jays knotted the score at 47-47 before Brazukas hit a jumper to put Moravian back in the lead for good. Murray connected on a three-point play, and he followed with two free throws as the Greyhounds pulled ahead, 54-47, with 11:26 on the clock.
Barnes would stretch the lead to nine points, 61-52, with a three-pointer at 9:35, and a lay-up from McGuire pushed the lead to double digits for the first time, 69-59, with 4:39 left on the clock. Back-to-back three-pointers from Hanna and Murray would give Moravian a 16-point edge, 75-69, with 2:53 remaining, and Holder hit a lay-up for an 18-point advantage, the largest of the afternoon, in the final two minutes. The Greyhounds stepped up the defense in the second half, limiting the Blue Jays to 25 points while forcing 14 turnovers in the final 20 minutes for a total of 23 forced turnovers in the contest.
Moravian continues its four-game road trip on Wednesday, February 8 in a Landmark Conference game at Goucher College beginning at 7:00 p.m. in Towson, Maryland.