BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- Senior guard C.J. Barnes scored a game-high 23 points and was one of four players in double figures to lead the Moravian College men's basketball team to a 79-71 non-conference win in Johnston Hall Monday evening as the Greyhounds earned their first victory under the direction of first-year Head Coach Shawn Postiglione.
Barnes connected on 7-of-10 shots from the floor including a trio of three-pointers and six free throws, and he also grabbed a game and career high 10 rebounds for the first double-double of his career. Junior guard Matt O'Connor tossed in 14 points to go with four rebounds and three assists while senior forward John Hargraves and junior guard Keith Otto both netted 10 points with Hargraves adding eight rebounds, three blocks shots and a pair of steals and Otto contributing seven boards, two assists and two steals.
Freshman guard Greg Eck scored eight points to go with two rebounds and a pair of steals while senior forward Addis Ralph and junior guard Nick King both had six points with Ralph grabbing three rebounds and King dishing out three assists. Junior forward John Rigsby added five rebounds, two points and two assists while senior guard Mike Martino had five boards and a pair of assists.
The Dolphins scored the first seven points of the game before a lay-up from Barnes two and a half minutes into action put the Blue and Grey on the scoreboard. Mount Saint Vincent pushed its edge to 11-2 before and 8-0 run capped by a three-pointer by Eck had the Hounds trailing just 11-10 with 14 minutes left in the first half. The Dolphins answered with a 7-0 run to push the edge back to 18-10. Moravian then scored 10 straight points to take its first lead of the evening at 20-18 on a three-pointer by O'Connor with 10:41 until the intermission.
The Hounds pushed that edge to six points at 28-22 on a three-pointer by Otto with just under nine minutes until halftime. Mount Saint Vincent would answer again with a 10-2 run to move back ahead, 32-30 with 4:24 left in the first half. Otto would five Moravian the lead for good with a pair of free throws 30 seconds later, and a free throw from Barnes would send the Greyhounds to the locker room with a 36-32 edge.
Moravian scored the first six points of the second half to open a 10-point lead at 42-32 with 17:26 remaining. A 6-0 run midway through the half gave the Blue and Grey their largest lead of the night at 14 points, 56-42, when Otto hit a lay-up. The Dolphins slowly closed the gap down to five points, 66-61, with 4:31 remaining before a three-pointer by Eck stopped the run. O'Connor, Barnes and Rigsby each connected on two free throws in the final 47 seconds to seal the victory.
The Greyhounds are scheduled to return to action on Friday, November 15 when the squad takes on Kean (N.J.) University in the first day of the Widener University Tip-Off Tournament for Autism Awareness at 6:00 p.m. in Chester.
