MOUNT BERRY, Ga. – The Berry College Men's Basketball Team (2-3) scored 39 points at the free throw line as it defeated visiting Emory & Henry College (0-5) by an 82-62 score Tuesday night at the Steven J. Cage Athletic Center.
The Vikings jumped out to a 14-4 lead at the 12:50 mark of the first half, but the Wasps clawed back into the contest leading by a 28-24 score with 4:29 to go before the intermission. The two squads traded baskets for the last part of the period before Berry finished things out with a 6-0 run to lead 40-34 going into halftime.
The early part of the second half remained close before Berry went on a 12-2 run covering 2:23 to take a 63-45 advantage. The Wasps were able to match the Vikings bucket for bucket for the final five minutes of the contest but the deficit was too much to overcome. BC finished the game the same way it finished the first half – on a 6-0 run – for the final 82-62 margin.
Berry saw five players, including four starters, reach double figures in scoring for the game. Nick Marder led all players with 17 points as he converted 11-of-12 free throw attempts and added three assists and two steals. Lee McCloud and Coleman Ellingsworth had 16 points each as McCloud pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Caleb Johnson and Lukas Korn added 12 points each while Korn notched five rebounds and went six-for-eight from the charity stripe.
As a team, the Vikings shot 43.9 percent (18-for-41) from the field but took advantage of 32 fouls by the Wasps, converting 39-of-47 (83.0%) of their free throw attempts.
Emory & Henry was paced by sophomore guard Ryan Gravley (Austinville, Va.), who scored 14 points. Freshman guard Josh Hess (Abingdon, Va.) scored in double digits in his first collegiate start, finishing with 11 points on a trio of three-pointers while freshman forward Noah Walker (Bristol, Va.) notched 10 points off the bench. Junior guard Kevin Anzenberger (Concord, N.C.) had five points and nine rebounds and freshman forward Shawn McDaniel (Salem, Va.) chipped in eight points and five boards.
The Wasps went 18-for-52 (34.6%) from the field, hitting eight shots from beyond the arc. Emory & Henry's bench outscored its counterpart by a 25-19 margin but a 21-point deficit at the free throw line made the difference in the game.
E&H will next take the court on Wednesday, December 3 when it travels to Ferrum College for a 7:00 p.m., non-conference contest with the Panthers.
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-photo courtesy of Caleb Johnston, E&H '15