MADISON, N.J. – The Neumann University Men's Basketball won their ninth game in a row as the defeated Saint Elizabeth University on Saturday afternoon by a final score of 78-73.
 
Donte Dupriest led with a double-double, putting up 33 points with 19 rebounds. DJ Earl added 14 points while Aarick Salata notched 13.
 
The Eagles started off strong with an initial run 10-6 over the first three minutes. Neumann fought right back with seven straight points. After four consecutive free throws by Saint Elizabeth, the Knights went on a seven-point run to lead 20-14 with 12:37 left in the first.  Neumann extended the lead over the next five minutes with a stretch of 14 of the next 19 points. Saint Elizabeth got their deficit to single digits, pulling with nine the halftime.
 
Over the first 5:12 of the second half, Saint Elizabeth went on a 14-8 run, cutting the lead to 51-50, showing this would be a tight game throughout. After trading buckets for the next ten minutes, the game was tied at 65, heading towards the finish. With the game even at 68, and with three minutes left, Neumann surged ahead by four. The Eagles responded with a 5-0 run to take a 73-72 lead with 42 seconds left. On the next possession, Dupriest completed a traditional three-point play to give Neumann the lead for good as they hit four straight free throws to seal it.
 
Neumann (10-3, 2-0 Atlantic East) will try to push their streak to double-digits on Wednesday night as they host Marymount University for a 6:00 PM tipoff.