Eisenhart, Lapetina & Rigby Lead Eagles in Win over Goucher

TOWSON, Md.- The Juniata men's basketball team picked up a win on the road at Goucher, 64-49, Monday evening inside the Decker Sports and Recreation Center. 

Three different Eagles scored in double figures, with Nick Rigby (Huntingdon, Pa. / Huntingdon HS) leading the way with 12 points to go with six rebounds and two assists. Evan Eisenhart (York, Pa. / Central York HS) tallied 11 points, three rebounds, and two assists, while Tyler Lapetina (Collegeville, Pa. / Perkiomen Valley HS) added 11 points off the bench.

The Eagle offense struggled to get going in the opening 10 minutes of the half, as they trailed 12-4 in the opening 10 minutes of the half. A three from Lapetina and a Rigby layup suddenly had JC within three. 

The teams traded buckets over the next few minutes as the offenses found some rhythm. An Eisenhart triple followed by a Gabe Guidinger (York, Pa. / Central York HS)  put-back gave JC their first lead of the day with just under three to play. Kohl Bernarding (Cochranton, Pa. / Cochranton HS) found Eisenhart for another three in the final 40 seconds to send JC into the half with a three-point lead, 28-25. 

A back and forth second half saw the teams exchange the lead, with a Lapetina layup following an offensive rebound making it 39-37. Juniata turned up the defense, as they went on a 9-0 run and blanked the Gopher offense for nearly five minutes. John Kelly's (Philadelphia, Pa. / Roman Catholic HS) layup off a Guidinger dime made it 46-37 with 10 to go.  

Goucher cut the lead to five, but a Rigby free throw, a Chase Husted (DuBois, Pa. / DuBois Area HS)  layup, and a Kyle Ruggery (Duncansville, PA / Bishop Guilfoyle HS) three in the next minute helped the Eagles see the rest of the game out.   

Juniata will host Elizabethtown Wednesday at 7:00.