ST. DAVID'S, PA – Eastern led from start to finish to score a 75-60 win over Rowan in non-league basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Eastern University Gymnasium.
 
Maliq Sanders led Rowan with 15 points with Diante Bah adding 13 while hitting 6-of-8 field goals. Austin Kearney had eight points and seven rebounds for Rowan (5-7).
 
Rowan pulled to within one, 24-23, with under five minutes to go in the first half, but Gabe Perez had 10 points in a stretch late in the first half that saw Eastern build its lead to 35-29 at halftime.  
 
Four straight points by Bah at the start of the second half pulled the Profs within 36-33, but Eastern scored eight straight, with William Blet and Michael Bowlers accounting for all of them, to build its lead to 44-33.
 
Sanders scored five in a row to bring Rowan within, 46-40, but the home team answered with six straight to increase its lead to 52-40 with 8:42 to play. Eastern would hold onto a double-digit lead the rest of the way to earn the win.
 
Eastern shot 52.5 percent from the field in the game while the Profs connected on 32.8 percent. Rowan did make 9-of-11 from the foul line but couldn't overcome the lead that Eastern had built.
 
Bowlers had 18 points on 9-for-12 shooting to lead Eastern (5-6).
 
Rowan returns home for the first time since December 11 when the Profs host William Paterson on Wednesday, January 8 in NJAC action.