Emory & Henry Men’s Basketball Takes Down Washington and Lee, 86-70, On The Road

Emory & Henry Men’s Basketball Takes Down Washington and Lee, 86-70, On The Road

LEXINGTON, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team (11-9, 5-6 ODAC) got back on track Tuesday evening with an 86-70 Old Dominion Athletic Conference win over Washington and Lee University (10-9, 3-7 ODAC) at the Warner Center. The Wasps were propelled to the victory by strong bench scoring, holding a 27-2 advantage over the Generals.

The two teams went back and forth through the first 10 minutes of the game, totaling seven lead changes and two ties. The Wasps went ahead, 23-22, at the 9:59 mark of the first half on a jumper by junior guard Ryan Gravley (Austinville, Va.). Gravley's bucket sparked an 18-3 run for E&H which covered 4:18, giving Emory & Henry a 39-25 advantage. Washington and Lee answered by scoring the final six points of the half to draw the score to 44-40 at the intermission.

After the Generals cut the margin to one with a three-pointer to start the second half, Emory & Henry scored nine straight to go back up by double digits, 53-43. W&L got back within six a minute and a half later, but E&H would remain at arm's length for the remainder of the game. The Wasps capped the scoring with an 8-2 run over the final 1:33 for the 86-70 victory.

Gravley and sophomore guard John Shelor (Giles, Va.) tied for the game-high in scoring with 22 points each. Gravley went six-for-nine from the field, hit all eight of his free throws, and dished out nine assists while Shelro hit a quartet of three-pointers and added four rebounds. Sophomore forward Chase Branscomb (Bristol, Tenn.) added 15 points to spark the Emory & Henry bench while freshman forward Aaron Ferguson (Princeton, W.Va.) had 14 points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Alic Wynn (Asheville, N.C.) chipped in six points, eight rebounds and four blocks.

As a team, the Wasps shot 52.7 percent (29-for-55) from the field and connected on 11 three pointers (50%). E&H went 17-for-20 (85%) from the free throw line as well and committed just six turnovers in the contest.

Washington and Lee had four scorers in double figures led by Andrew Franz' 20 points. Clayton Murtha notched a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds while Devin Kearns and Andy Kleinlein had 17 and 12 points, respectively. The Generals shot 42.2 percent (27-for-64) in the game but managed just a six-for-18 (33%) effort from beyond the arc. W&L outscored the E&H 38-22 on points in the paint, but ended up being no match for the Wasps.

Emory & Henry will return home on Saturday afternoon to take on Virginia Wesleyan College in a key ODAC contest. The Wasps and Marlins are set to tip-off at 2:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to come early to witness a special ceremony honoring Glenn Roberts, class of 1935, one of the innovators of the sport of basketball. The ceremony will take place at 1:40 p.m., in the lobby of the John Rutledge King Center.

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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15