WATERBURY, Conn. – A critical make-up game for Post University Men's Basketball on Thursday night against Holy Family University had the chance to turn the tide in the CACC North Division for better or for worse by the end of the night for the Eagles. Using a strong first-half attack that forced the Tigers into 11 turnovers, Post would emerge victorious after leading for all 40 minutes of the game, 78-59.
With the win, Post moved to third in the North Division but is tied with Bloomfield College and Caldwell University in the loss column as each of those three teams have five losses. Close behind still is Felician University and Dominican (N.Y.) with six losses apiece.
THE BASICS
Post University 78, Holy Family University 59
Post University (17-7, 8-5 CACC)
Holy Family University (8-16, 4-10 CACC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
11 first-half turnovers led to 13 points for Post who led by as many as 21 points in the opening 20 minutes behind a 16-for-40 performance from the floor (40%) while only hitting 4-of-18 three-pointers. The Eagles held a gaudy edge in rebounds as well, leading the Tigers 29-16 overall and 10-1 on the offensive boards leading to 10 second-chance points. The closest Holy Family would be in the half was when they trailed 2-0 and following a 5-0 start for Post, the Eagles never looked back when holding onto that lead.
Junior forward
Deng Deang was the lone Eagle to reach double digits for points after scoring 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting while corralling a team-high eight rebounds. Eight different players recorded a basket for Post in the first half while six scored for Holy Family while junior guard Ryan Holmes and sophomore guard Ethan Pires tied for the team-high with five points apiece.
As a team in the second half, Post continued their hot shooting while going 13-of-26 from the floor (50%) while making 5-of-12 threes as they continued their rout of the Tigers. Three Eagles would end up finishing in double figures with Deang leading the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds to net a double-double on 9-of-17 shooting. Close behind was junior point guard
Robert Sanders with 13 points and junior guard
Quest Harris who had 12 points in 18 minutes while shooting 6-of-7 from the field.
The Eagles ended the game outrebounding Holy Family by a commanding 52-31 margin while dishing out 14 assists compared to just six for the Tigers. While the turnover battle heavily favored Post in the opening half, Holy Family would flip the script in the final 20 minutes despite the 78-59 victory for the Eagles as they ended with just 15 turnovers compared to 18 for Post who had 11 in the second half.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Deng Deang finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season while going 9-for-17 from the floor (52.9%)
- After dropping four of six games, Post University has won three of their last four games
- Post University improves their record to 11-1 this season when leading at halftime
- Post University has won a program record seven consecutive games against Holy Family University with the last loss coming on February 6th, 2016 on the road, 75-57
WHO'S NEXT
Post University will get right back into the action on Saturday afternoon against Felician University with a 3:00 PM tip-off scheduled inside the Drubner Center. The Eagles took down the Golden Falcons behind a 50-point second half in which they outscored Felician by 18 points to come from behind and win by double digits, 83-69.
