(Posted January 21, 2006)

Juniata 82, Albright 77

READING, Pa. ? Aaron Chamberlain (Tussey Mountain/Wood) and Tommy McConnell (Bishop Guilfoyle/Hollidaysburg) both topped 20 points and sparked a late Juniata run that helped the Eagles claim an 82-77 comeback win over Albright College in Commonwealth Conference action at the Bollman Center Saturday afternoon.

Trailing 72-61 with 6:38 to play the Eagles erupted on a 17-0 run over the five minutes to take control and then would hold on to improve their record to 9-8 overall and 4-2 in conference action. Albright fell to 11-5 on the season and is now also 4-2 in conference.

A pair of free throws from Neil Holloway (Tussey Mountain/Saxton) started the run, and Chamberlain quickly followed with three pointer, and two free throws to cut the lead to four. McConnell then recorded a steal and was fouled, and the lead was at two after he drilled both free throws. Another pair of freebies from Chris Jasiota (Oil City/Oil City) tied the score at 72 with 3:27 left. McConnell followed with a three on Juniata?s next possession and added a lay-up one trip later to put the Eagles on top by five with 2:43 remaining in the game. Albright finally broke its six-minute scoring drought on a Matt Kieselowsky free throw and then got a three from Andy Winebrunner to pull within two at 80-77 with 52 seconds left. But McConnell and Chamberlain both hit free throws in the final minute to seal the win.

The Eagles were just 62 percent from the foul line in the game, and allowed Albright to shoot 53 percent from the field, but the Eagles nailed a season-best 12 three pointers, including five from Chamberlain to help claim the win.

The 11-point lead that Juniata overcame late was the largest advantage of the second half and came after the Eagles had led for much of the game. After falling behind early, Juniata claimed its first lead of the game on a Chamberlain three at the 9:32 mark of the first half. The Eagles would stay in front the rest of the half, taking a five-point cushion into the locker room. Juniata extended the lead to eight on three occasions in the second half, the final time three minutes into the second half. Albright reclaimed the lead on a Greg Conroy three with 12:20 left in the game, and then used a 16-6 run to earn its 11-point edge.

Chamberlain finished with a team-high 22 points, while McConnell added 21 and a team-best three assists. Nick Hager (Franklin/Franklin) was also in double figures with 13 points. Jasiota and McConnell both finished with a team-high four rebounds for the Eagles.

Albright had four players in double figures, led by Trevor Deeter who scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Tom Murphy added 16 while Taylor Steltz and Kieselowsky added 11 and 10 respectively. Conroy led all players with six assists.

Juniata returns to action on Wednesday when the Eagles host conference foe Lebanon Valley

JUNIATA (82): Jasiota 0 4-4 4, Boyd 2 0-0 5, McConnell 7 5-9 21, Cannon 3 0-2 6, Hager 5 0-1 13, Byer 2 0-0 4, Ferko 0 0-0 0, Opitz 1 0-2 3, Chamberlain 5 7-8 22, Holencik 0 0-0 0, Holloway 1 2-2 4. Totals ? 26 18-28 82.

ALBRIGHT (77): Kieselowsky 2 4-4 10, Steltz 4 2-4 11, Deeter 7 3-6 18, Walter 1 0-2 2, Murphy 5 3-3 16, Conroy 2 0-0 6, Kehoe 0 0-0 0, Medoro 2 0-0 4, Boles 1 1-2 3, Winebrunner 1 0-0 3, Brudvig 2 0-0 4, Totals ? 27 13-21 77.

Halftime: Juniata 38-33. 3-point goals: Juniata 12 (Chamberlain 5, Hager 3, McConnell 2, Boyd, Opitz); Albright 10 (Murphy 3, Kieselowsky 2, Conroy 2, Steltz, Deeter, Winebrunner). Assists: Juniata 10 (McConnell 3); Albright 21 (Conroy 6). Rebounds: Juniata 26 (Jasiota, McConnell 4); Albright 39 (Deeter 12).
Records: Juniata (9-8, 4-2 Commonwealth), Albright (11-5, 4-2 Commonwealth).

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