Men’s Basketball Host Drew Rangers in Landmark Game
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – This Saturday afternoon, Jan. 18., the Juniata College men’s basketball team will host the Drew University Rangers in a Landmark conference double header with the women’s team. Both teams are coming off losses with the Eagles falling to Catholic University of America at home, 78-63, and the Rangers dropping a last second 67-66 game to Moravian College on the road.
By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: JD Cavrich Photography
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – This Saturday afternoon, Jan. 18., the Juniata College men's basketball team will host the Drew University Rangers in a Landmark conference double header with the women's team. Both teams are coming off losses with the Eagles falling to Catholic University of America at home, 78-63, and the Rangers dropping a last second 67-66 game to Moravian College on the road.
"This game is really about us," said head coach Greg Curley. "We need to come back and play better. What that ends up being in terms of wins or losses I have no idea. Drew is a good team. They're explosive, they can score, and they're very solid defensively so we're going to have to play really well to win. Right now I'm just thinking about if we can get back to playing with our energy, get back to playing defensively the way we are capable of, and that's a big challenge because of where Drew pressures you."
The Eagles are 15-8 all time against Drew dating back to the first meeting in the 1976-77 season. Since joining the Landmark Conference, the two teams have met on 12 different occasions with Juniata holding the 8-4 series lead. The Eagles are currently on a four game win streak against the Rangers and last dropped a home match to Drew, 72-70, in overtime during the 2010-11 season.
"It's so early in the league and conference play really gets interesting in the second half of this month," said Curley. "That's when we need to be playing our best. We want to win as many games as we possibly can and we need to because they are all important. But we really need to be playing our best towards the end of the month."
The Rangers, 7-7 overall and 2-1 in conference, are getting the majority of their production from sophomore guard Matt Klinger who is averaging 19.9 points per game, second in the Landmark and 53rd in the nation, for a team that scores just over 71 a contest. Fellow guards, sophomore Jason Huelbig and senior John Ford, round out the top scoring threats for Drew with 12.5 and 12 points per game respectively. Ford ranks fourth in the league in 3-point percentage (45.7) and is second in total treys (43).
"We'll have to wait and see how we match up," said Curley. "Drew has three very good perimeter players. Jason Huelbig is a really talented driver, really athletic, and they have three really good guards. Any time a team has guard pay it's going to be a challenge. We didn't handle that very well Wednesday night. Drew has played a lot of close games; they've won their share and lost their share. We struggled against them last year and had to have a miracle comeback to win the game. They have a lot of confidence and they're very well coached so it's going to be a big challenge for us."
For the Eagles, senior Jeremy Hays (McMechen, W. Va./John Marshall) is leading the team offensively and is nationally ranked in the top-20 in assists per game (5.7) and total assists (80), topping the conference in both categories as well. Hays and senior Kevin Stapleton (Indian, Pa./Indiana) are both nationally ranked in field-goal percentage and senior Lucas Mellott (Warfordsburg, Pa./Southern Fulton) is nationally ranked in rebounds per game (7.1).
"It's not only a new year and a new team, but this is a new game," said Curley. "I don't know that we worry about who we are playing – it's about us, about us playing well, and about us playing better. Wednesday night was probably one of the poorest defensive performances of my coaching tenure when we've played at home. That's the first time we played with little to no energy in a long time. We need to get back to being who we are. How fast can you do that? Can you do it right away? Can you flip a switch? We're going to find out. I think the guys are capable of it. Winning is not easy. This is where our senior leadership and our attitudes will come through. I think we're in good shape. I think we can rebound and play the way we are capable of tomorrow."
The two teams last met Feb. 16 2013 in Huntingdon with the Eagles prevailing 70-63. The men's game will tipoff at 2 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium followed by the women's game at 4 p.m.
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