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Hounds Overcome 17-point Deficit to Take Down Elizabethtown in Conference Action

Sophomore Alex Dietz attempting a jump shot in an exhibition game against Division I opponent, the University of Delaware.
Sophomore Alex Dietz attempting a jump shot in an exhibition game against Division I opponent, the University of Delaware.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Moravian University men's basketball squad earned their second Landmark Conference victory of the season by defeating Elizabethtown College an 84-82 on the road Saturday afternoon.

How It Happened

  • The Blue Jays opened the scoring with six-straight points before senior guard Danny Cooper hit a lay-up. Elizabethtown followed up with a 10-0 run to put the Greyhounds down 16-2 just five minutes into the half. Sophomore forward Mike DiPietro converted on the post, followed by a jumper made by Cooper to put the score at 20-6 in favor of the Blue Jays with 11:53 remaining in the first half
  • DiPietro made a lay-up and drained a three-pointer halfway through the half to cut the deficit to 14 points. After a Cooper lay-up, sophomore guard Alex Dietz and DiPietro made a few free throw shots to cut into the lead. Junior guard Nate Dougherty got Elizabethtown's advantage under double digits with a pair of free throws with 5:30 to go in the first half
  •  Dietz hit a three-pointer and then a jump shot to get the Greyhounds within five points, 30-25. The Blue Jays got one at the foul line, then Dougherty made both shots for the charity stripe putting the Hounds within four, 31-27. Elizabethtown extended their lead to seven points before Moravian answered with seven consecutive points to tie the game at 35-35 with 37 seconds remaining. The Blue Jays sunk two free throws to end the half, with the score set at 37-35
  • The Greyhounds scored the first four points of the second half to take their first lead of the game at 39-37 as Elizabethtown tied the contest. Moravian countered with a 7-0 run to take a 46-39 lead with 17:35 remaining.
  • Moravian held an eight-point edge 49-41 before the Blue Jays began to inch back and tied the ballgame at 55-55 at the 11:49 mark in the second half. After Elizabethtown regained the lead, both squads went back-and-forth with lead changes included two ties, with the last tie occurring with 2:50 remaining at 71-71.
  • Sophomore guard C.J. Weber responded with a three-pointer to give the Greyhounds the lead for good, but not without any pushback from the Blue Jays. It came down to the teams exchanging free throws and Elizabethtown getting within a point on multiple occasions including with just five seconds left, 83-82. Weber converted one of his two free throws to put the game at the final score of 84-82 after the Blue Jays missed a three-pointer at the buzzer

Inside the Numbers

  • Moravian had four players in double figures, led by Dietz who tallied a career-high 27 points, added three rebounds, two assists, two steals and went 8-for-8 from the foul line. DiPietro, who netted 19 points also contributed a career-high 10 boards for his first career double-double, also had a steal
  • Cooper tossed in 15 points with five rebounds and two assists as Dougherty contributed 13 points to go three steals, two assists, two rebounds and a blocked shot. Dougherty was also perfect from the free throw line, going 6-for-6
  • Weber finished the game with both seven points, two rebounds, two assists and a block while freshman guard/forward Michael Leonardo tied his career-best with six boards, a new career-high of three blocked shots, two points and one assist
  • Freshman guard/forward Antonio Montgomery made his first career start and freshman forward Jack Saggio scored the first point of his collegiate career.
  • Moravian shot 26-for-67 from the floor (38.8 percent) while the Blue Jays were 27-for-65 from the floor (41.5 percent). The Hounds were 24-for-28 at the foul line (85.7 percent) while sinking eight three-pointers
  • Hounds improve to 2-2 in Landmark Conference action and 6-7 overall

Up Next for the Greyhounds

  • Monday, January 17 vs. FDU-Florham, 7:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, January 19 at The University of Scranton, 7:00 p.m.