ELON, N.C. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team completed the preseason portion of its schedule Friday evening with an exhibition game against NCAA Division I Elon University. The Phoenix, which is about to begin its first season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, earned a 90-50 win over the Wasps.
After Elon went up 3-0 in the opening 50 seconds of the game, Emory & Henry reeled off 10 straight points to lead 10-3 at the 16:25 mark. Sophomore guard Ryan Gravley (Austinville, Va.) had five points for the Wasps, connecting on a three-pointer to put E&H on the board.
The Phoenix regained the lead but the margin remained close for much of the opening 20 minutes. Elon, which started a pair of 6-7 upperclassmen, finished the half on a 12-2 run for a 39-22 lead at the intermission.
Coming out of the break, Elon kept the pressure on, scoring the first 18 points of the second half for a 57-22 lead. The Wasps' scoring drought was ended by three-point baskets by sophomore guard Myles Turner (Richmond, Va.), redshirt freshman forward Zach Lawson (Roanoke, Va.) and junior guard Kevin Anzenberger (Concord, N.C.).
The Phoenix shot 52.6 percent (20-for-38) from the field in the second half en route to their 90-50 win. Emory & Henry hit seven shots from beyond the arc as it managed just a 36.4 percent (20-for-55) shooting effort in the game against the taller Elon team.
Leading all scorers was Elon's Dmitri Thompson, as he scored 13 points and added six rebounds. Elijah Bryant and Christian Hairston had 12 points each, adding seven and six rebounds, respectively. Ryan Winters notched 10 points on four-for-eight shooting with six boards while Tanner Sampson had 10 points as well for the Phoenix.
Emory & Henry was paced by Gravley's nine points and four rebounds while Turner added nine points and five boards of his own. Anzenberger notched eight points hitting a pair of treys while freshman forward Noah Walker (Bristol, Va.) tallied six points in the game.
The Phoenix led the battle of the boards, 44-34, pulling down 15 offensive rebounds which led to 22 second-chance points. The size differential between the teams gave Elon the advantage down low as it scored 46 points in the paint.
E&H will get the season off to an official start on Saturday, November 15 at 5:00 p.m., when it hosts Southern Virginia University at Bob Johnson Court.
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-photo courtesy of Taylor Jefferson