Stifling Second Half Defense Leads Eagles Past River Hawks

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata men's basketball team used an excellent defensive performance to defeat Susquehanna, 62-43, Wednesday evening inside Memorial Gymnasium. 

Ty Kocak led all scorers with 17 points, four rebounds, two steals, and a block, while Joe Bruce added 10 points, a rebound, and a steal. Jayden Bilger had eight points, seven rebounds, and a steal, while Malcolm Griffith tallied eight points, seven rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

Bilger scored on a putback to open the scoring. SU countered, scoring six straight points, before Kocak made back-to-back jumpers to knot things at six. Tre Yawn stole the ball and found Kocak for a three. Juniata turned more defense into offense at William Littles Jr. intercepted a pass, beat everyone down the floor, and laid the ball in. 

The teams traded the lead back and forth several times over the rest of the half. With the score tied at 25, a Kocak foul shot in the final 40 seconds sent Juniata into the locker room with a one-point advantage. 

The first 10 minutes of the second half were more of the same, with SU tying things at 33 with a layup in transition. From that point on, the Eagles ramped up the defensive intensity. Two layups from Kocak, one from Griffith, and a three from the right corner from Littles off a Yawn assisted made it 42-35. 

The Eagles closed the game on a 30-10 run that included holding the River Hawks under 40 points until the final three minutes of the game. 

This is one of the strongest defensive performances in the history of this matchup for Juniata. This was the fewest points they allowed SU to score since the 1969-1970 season, when the River Hawks outlasted JC in a defensive battle, 42-34. 

The Eagles, having won five of their last six games, will travel to take on the University of Scranton, Saturday at 2:00.