EMORY, Va. – The Bluefield College Men's Basketball Team (3-2) opened up a 53-39 halftime lead and never looked back as it defeated Emory & Henry College (2-3) by a 99-70 score Tuesday evening at Bob Johnson Court.
The two teams battled to a 9-9 tie at the 16:41 mark of the first half. Bluefield went on a 15-4 run to take a 24-13 lead but Emory & Henry reeled off 11-straight points to knot the score at 24 with 8:06 on the clock. The Rams slowly increased their lead through the final eight minutes of the first half, leading by as much as 16 (53-37). The Wasps closed the period with a layup by senior guard Stephen Brown (Charleston, S.C.) to make the score 53-39.
After the break, Bluefield continued its solid pace of increasing the lead. The Wasps were able to cut the margin with a 5-0 run midway through the second half but the Rams responded with a 7-1 run to go up 85-58 with 5:35 to go. BC closed the game with 10 of the last 12 points for the final 99-70 margin.
Bluefield's Alex Lubsey led all scorers with 27 points as he went 10-for-10 from the field and added a seven-for-seven performance at the free throw line. Kearsten Marion had 20 points, seven assists and four steals while Devin Page added eight points, nine rebounds and three assists.
As a team, Bluefield shot 58.5 percent (38-for-65) from the field and connected on all 16 of their free throws. The Rams held a 37-30 advantage on the boards.
Emory & Henry was paced by senior guard Malcolm Green (Marshville, N.C.) with 12 points and three rebounds while junior forward Chavis Hamilton (Marion, N.C.) added 11 points and three rebounds. Senior guard Brett Pearman (Chesapeake, Va.), senior forward Charles Smith (Fayetteville, N.C.) and freshman forward Brandon Self (Norfolk, Va.) each had eight points while Pearman dished out eight assists.
The Wasps shot 45.0 percent (27-for-60) from the field and hit four three-pointers but only made 12-of-25 (48.0%) of their free throws.
Emory & Henry will return to Bob Johnson Court on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m., when it takes on Virginia Wesleyan College in Old Dominion Athletic Conference play.
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