ST. DAVID'S, Pa. – Stevenson men's basketball (8-13, 2-8) fought a consistently close game through the first half with the Eastern University Eagles (14-7, 6-4) Saturday afternoon at The Nest. The game ended in a 20-point decision, 84-64, in favor of Eastern.
 
The Eagles got on the board first but were quickly answered by a jumper from sophomore guard Ronald Ayers. A three from Ayers a moment later secured an early game tie at 5-5.  The two teams swapped the lead but Stevenson recovered with a three from junior forward Cameron Smith. Answering another tie from an Eagles free throw, sophomore forward Zach Bolgert added a three pointer to give the Mustangs the lead again.  Another Eagles tie preceded another lead, but first-year guard Joey Lutz secured a three pointer to give the Mustangs one last lead in the first half. Stevenson found two ties as the game progressed, but efforts fell just short as the Mustangs entered halftime at 34-33 in favor of the Eagles.
 
Two minutes passed in the second half before junior guard Rasheed Cooley added a jumper to maintain the close gap. Smith and Bolgert each kept the score close, but the Eagles continued to gain traction and pull away. A three from Ayers brought the Mustangs past 50 points. In the final two minutes, a jumper from sophomore guard Nick Jones brought the Mustangs to 60. Sophomore guard Bryan Skurcenski added a three pointer wirh 17 seconds remaining, ending in the 84-64 decision.
 
In the loss, Ayers had 14 points and went two-for-four at the three-point line. Smith added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Bolgert added 10 points, eight rebounds, and a steal.
 
The Mustangs stay on the road in conference play as they travel to take on the Hood College Blazers on Wednesday, Feb. 7 for a 7 p.m. tipoff.