EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team (1-0, 0-0 ODAC) got the 2018-19 season off to a start with a decisive 72-65 win over visiting Thomas More University (0-1) Friday evening at the John Rutledge King Center.
Both programs reached the NCAA Division III First Round a year ago as the Wasps open the year receiving votes in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 72, Thomas More 65
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (1-0, 0-0 ODAC); Thomas More (0-1)
How It Happened
- TMU opened the game with a 12-0 run, hitting four straight three-pointers and would go on to lead, 16-2, with 15:44 on the clock.
- Down by 12 with 8:35 before the break, Emory & Henry's offense caught fire and put up a 17-4 run as the Wasps took a 27-26 lead into intermission.
- The Saints scored the first six points of the second half to retake the lead, 32-27, but E&H responded with an 8-1 scoring spurt to lead 40-33 with 15:30 left. The two squads traded baskets through the middle portion of the second half before back-to-back threes by Max Knisley and a pair of free throws by Ralph Stone drew the margin to two (56-54), its closest since the 17:05 mark of the second.
- The Wasps put together another late run to seal the victory. Up by a 62-59 margin with 2:11 to play, Emory & Henry scored eight in a row to lead 70-59. Thomas More hit six free throws in the last 30 seconds, but E&H's advantage was too much to overcome as it went on to claim the 72-65 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Sophomore guard Tharon Suggs (Raleigh, N.C.) led all players with a career-high 26 points, going 6-for-11 from three-point range.
- Junior guard Daniel Spencer (Concord, N.C.) posted 18 points, six rebounds and three steals while senior guard Jarris Hendricks (Mechanicsville, Va.) added 15 points and seven rebounds.
- Senior forward Alic Wynn (Asheville, N.C.) notched eight points and pulled down 17 rebounds as junior guard Colin Molden (Apex, N.C.) dished out seven assists.
Thomas More Individual Leaders
- Damion King had 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists but committed six turnovers.
- Stone and Brandon Horne each put up nine points and six boards while Knisley had nine points of his own.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry hit 39 percent of its field goals but connected on 12 three-pointers, nine of which came after the intermission. Thomas More shot 36.5 percent for the game and hit 10 triples.
- The Saints were effective at the free throw line, going 17-for-21 (81%) while E&H made just 60.9 percent (14-of-23) of its uncontested shots.
- E&H held a 16-12 lead on points off turnovers, taking advantage of 14 mistakes by TMU.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will remain at home on Tuesday when it hosts Transylvania University in non-conference action.
- Tipoff between the Wasps and Pioneers is set for 7:00 p.m.
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