Rangers Separate From Eagles in Second Half
HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata men's basketball team couldn't quite keep pace with Drew University, 87-66, as the Rangers pulled away in the second half Saturday afternoon inside Memorial Gymnasium.
Ty Kocak had 19 points, three rebounds, two steals, and an assist, while Joe Bruce had 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Noah Bailey added 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal off the bench.
Bruce found Kocak for a layup for the opening bucket of the game. A jumper from Kocak at the elbow and a deep three from Ayden Hurley had the Eagles up 7-6 early.
Bailey found Bruce for a triple that made it 14-11, before Bruce turned defense to offense. He jumped a pass and raced the other way, laying the ball up to push the JC lead to five. The Rangers retook the lead on a triple, 19-18, before Malcolm Griffith finished inside to give JC the lead back.
The Eagles tied things at 25 with two Kocak foul shots and another from Tre Yawn. The teams continued to trade buckets, and the Rangers took a narrow 38-36 lead into the locker room at the half.
Juniata struggled to get going in the second half, with a pair of Bailey foul shots at the line their first points, slicing the lead to seven at 45-38. William Littles Jr. found Bailey inside for a layup to bring the deficit down to five.
The Eagles couldn't get any closer, as the Rangers methodically expanded their lead and kept JC at bay the rest of the game.
The visitors had a 44-30 advantage on the glass, and got 42 points of their bench to Juniata's 18.
Juniata will return action after Thanksgiving, hosting The Catholic University of America, Wednesday December 3 at 7:00.
