EMORY, Va. – The Maryville (Tenn.) College Men's Basketball Team (1-1) saw three players reach double figures in scoring as it grinded out a 75-71 victory over Emory & Henry College (0-2) Tuesday at Bob Johnson Court. The game featured seven ties and 13 lead changes as neither team led by more than eight points the entire evening.
The Wasps got out to a 16-8 lead at the 13:43 mark of the first half before the Scots rallied to tie things up at 19. Emory & Henry would push its advantage back to six points (36-30) with 2:35 to go before halftime on a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Myles Turner (Richmond, Va.).
MC closed the gap to 36-35 with 32 seconds on the clock but E&H sophomore guard Ryan Gravley (Austinville, Va.) drilled a three-pointer from the right wing as the halftime buzzer sounded to make the score 39-35 at the break.
Maryville came out of the locker room and went on an 11-5 run over the first 3:31 of the second period to take a 46-44 lead. Emory & Henry responded with a run of its own as the margin remained within five points for almost the entirety of the second half. Down by four with 8:15 to go in the game, the Wasps went on a 13-5 scoring spurt for a 70-66 advantage.
The Scots converted on seven-of-eight free throw attempts in the final 2:30 of the contest while E&H went cold from the field, missing its final four shots in the game. MC finished on a 9-1 run to escape with the 75-71 win.
Spencer Shoffner led the way for Maryville as he scored 16 points on a quartet of three-pointers and added seven rebounds. Tanner Torres had 14 points off the bench thanks to four treys of his own while Oscar Butler added 13 points and seven boards. As a team, the Scots shot 39.3 percent (22-for-56) from the field including a 9-for-21 (42.9%) clip from beyond the arc.
Emory & Henry was paced by Turner's career-high 28 points and eight rebounds as he went nine-for-11 from the charity stripe and hit a trio of three-pointers. Gravley scored 12 points, connecting on four shots from long range, and added four assists and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Brandon Self (Norfolk, Va.) had eight points, two rebounds and two blocks while freshman forward Noah Walker (Bristol, Va.) chipped in seven points and six boards.
The Wasps shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57) for the game and hit 10-of-21 (47.6%) of their attempts from three. Emory & Henry won the battle for points in the paint, 24-20, but the Scots outscored them by a 20-12 margin in points off turnovers.
Emory & Henry will take to the road on Friday when it travels to Danville, Virginia to compete in the Averett Cougar Classic. The Wasps will face the host Cougars at 7:30 p.m., before taking on the Pacers of William Peace University on Saturday afternoon at 5:30.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15