EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team (0-1, 0-0 SAC) opened the 2023-24 season with a close loss to Francis Marion University (1-0, 0-0 Carolinas) in game one of the South Atlantic Conference/Conference Carolinas Challenge on Saturday evening. The Patriots defeated the Wasps by a 100-93 scoreline.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Francis Marion 100, Emory & Henry 93
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (0-1, 0-0 SAC); Francis Marion (1-0, 0-0 Carolinas)
How It Happened
- The Wasps started out hot as freshman guard Keishawn Hampton (Buford, Ga.) buried a three-point jumper to give E&H the 19-13 lead at the 12:39 mark. The Patriots battled back through the middle stages of the half as they drew within just a point at the under eight media timeout. The two teams continued to trade blows down the stretch in the opening frame, and a late three by Ibrahim Wattara gave FMU the 42-40 lead at the half.
- The Patriots continued to push at the beginning of the second stanza, as their advantage grew to as many as 15 with just over seven minutes to play. Every time the Wasps attempted to chip away at the FMU lead, the Patriots had the answer and they held onto a 13-point lead at the 1:36 mark of the half. A layup from junior forward Jake Moynihan (Muncie, Ind.) and a three by sophomore forward Marshall Klug (Greensboro, N.C.) trimmed the deficit to eight with a minute remaining. The Patriots were clutch in the deciding moments, knocking down crucial free throws to come away with the victory 100-93.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Junior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) paced the Wasps with 22 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Klug finished with 15 points, four rebounds, five steals and three assists. Moynihan added 14 points, four rebounds and a steal.
- Junior forward Cade Looney (Grundy, Va.) posted a game-high 11 rebounds and eight points while Junior guard Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) recorded ten points, two rebounds and a blocked shot.
Francis Marion Individual Leaders
- Farid SaintCyr Jr. led the Patriots with 23 points, five rebounds and three steals. Tionne Rollins added 20 points, five steals, four assists and a pair of rebounds.
- Willie Patterson III finished the game with 17 points, five rebounds and two assists while Wattara had 17 points, four rebounds, two steals and a pair of assists.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 54.5 percent (36-for-66) from the field while Francis Marion made 37-of-77 (48.1%) of their shots. The Wasps knocked down seven shots (36.8%) from the three-point arc, compared to ten (34.5%) for the Patriots.
- The Wasps outrebounded the Patriots by a 46-33 margin and held the narrow 58-54 advantage on points in the paint.
- Turnovers were the difference in the game as E&H committed a whopping 30 turnovers that FMU converted into 31 points. The Patriots committed 17 miscues of their own which the Wasps converted into 22 points. FMU also outscored the Wasps on the fast break by a 32-19 margin.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry wraps up the South Atlantic Conference/Conference Carolinas Challenge on Sunday, November 12 when they take on the Hawks of Chowan University. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. from the John Rutledge King Center.
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