Eagles Come From Behind For Tough Victory

Elgin, IL - The game of basketball is a game of runs, and that certainly was the case in the Eagles' CCAC opener versus the Calumet Crimson Wave. JU, officially 0-1 with a few exhibition games mixed in, hosted Calumet for their first CCAC contest of the season, and came out smoking fast. The Eagles were up 8-0 within the first minute of play. 

Cee Jay Nwosu took the opening tip and streaked in for a dunk to kick things off high octane style. Nwosu finished with 21 points to lead the team, along with being 10-10 from the free throw line. 

Calumet brought some steady shooting from long range to not only come back from the early deficit, but to take a lead. They were 11-29 from long range. 

It was a physical game down low, but the big man Sam Ellis hung tough. His counterpart George Bellevue had a relatively quiet night, but still managed 14 points and 5 rebounds. 

After the fast start, Judson still found themselves down at half 44-38. 

What kept them in the game was some hard nose defense led by Kaevon Anderson and Dayton Hoover. Anderson and Hoover were the Eagle vacuums diving for lose balls and creating havoc for the Crimson Wave. Anderson also contributed 10 points on offense, Hoover had eight. 

Still the Eagles were down 11 with five minutes to play. "We just got tough," says Head Coach Bruce Fields. "I don't know how we did it, but we got it done with some good, tough defense. I am proud of these guys for not stopping." 

Only shooting 1-4 from three point range, it was a methodical effort for JU. Going 29-34 from the free throw line helped close those gaps. 

Making key plays down the stretch was Finn Walsh, who finished with a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Eagles outrebounded Calumet 47-36, and won the paint 48-30. It was a steady course for the Eagles that came out with the victory 88-86. 

Judson will travel out to St. Mary Woods on Saturday, before hosting St. Xavier in another CCAC matchup before the holiday break.