Men’s Hoops Opens Season With Resounding 90-53 Win over Penn St. Altoona

THE HEADLINE: The Juniata men's basketball team opened its 2016-17 season on Friday night at the Coaches Vs Cancer Tournament hosted by Mount Aloysius College. The Eagles faced Penn State Altoona and dominated as they cruised to a 90-53 win.

FIRST HALF: Juniata raced out to an 18-3 lead in less than six minutes of game time. The Eagles shot 50% from the floor.

SECOND HALF: The Nittany Lions scored a three-point basket to begin the second half of play but Juniata would end up scoring eight straight points to lead 46-27 with 17:34 to play. The Eagles lead never dipped below 13 points.

KEY PERFORMERS: Four players scored in double figures led by Damon Rickens'(Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) 19 points. Rickens shot 6-of-12 with all six of his baskets coming from outside the three-point arc. He also pulled down five rebounds, dished out two assists, and came away with two steals. Marcus Lee (Carrolltown, Pa./Bishop Carroll) added 15 points, four rebounds, three steals, and one blocked shot. Brandon Martinazzi (Cresson, Pa./Bishop Carroll) scored 11 points and had eight rebounds and two assists.  

OFF THE BENCH: Trevor Clune (Meadville, Pa./Meadville Area) had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He also had three steals.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE: Juniata was good from 35-of-65 (53.8%) on field goals. From outside the three-point line, the Eagles converted 44% (8-of-18) of their attempts. JC dominated in the paint with a 38-22 advantage. They also outscored the Lions 25-12 off of turnovers and in second chance points 14-4.

WHAT'S NEXT?: The Eagles move on to tomorrow afternoon's championship. They will play either Bethany (WV) or the host Mounties. Game time will be at 4:00 p.m.