LAS VEGAS, Nev. – The No. 9 Whitworth University Men's Basketball Team (10-1, 2-0 NWC) built a 19-point second-half lead and held off a furious rally by Emory & Henry College (9-4, 2-2 ODAC) to escape with a 87-80 win in the final game of the ninth-annual D3Hoops.com Classic on Sunday afternoon.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – No. 9 Whitworth 87, Emory & Henry 80
LOCATION – Las Vegas, Nevada
VENUE – South Point Hotel & Casino
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (9-4, 2-2 ODAC); Whitworth (10-1, 2-0 NWC)
How It Happened
- Whitworth opened up a 10-4 lead at the 16:23 mark of the first half. The Pirates pushed the margin to 28-14 and led 41-28 at the intermission.
- Coming out of the break, Whitworth extended its lead to 50-31 with 17:31 on the clock. Down by 16 (61-45), the Wasps went on a 9-2 run capped by a four-point play by senior guard Jarris Hendricks (Mechanicsville, Va.) to get E&H within nine (63-54).
- Emory & Henry closed the gap to six with 3:22 to play and after a Whitworth run, got within five (85-80) with 31 seconds remaining. WU sealed the win with a pair of free throws.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Junior guard Daniel Spencer (Concord, N.C.) led all players with 29 points, his third time scoring more than 25 points this season. He added 12 rebounds and three assists to complete the double-double.
- Sophomore guard Tharon Suggs (Raleigh, N.C.) made it back-to-back 20-point games, scoring 24 points with six assists and four rebounds while senior forward Alic Wynn (Asheville, N.C.) had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Whitworth Individual Leaders
- Ben College put up a team-high 23 points for the Pirates while Kevin Crosno hit a quartet of three-pointers on his way to 15 points off the bench.
- Jared Christy and Ben Bishop had 11 and 10 points, respectively while Jordan Lester added nine points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two steals.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 44.1 percent (30-of-68) for the game with seven three-pointers and made 13-of-21 (61.9%) of its free throw attempts.
- Whitworth made 29-of-51 (56.9%) of its field goals including nine triples. The Pirates were also hot at the free throw line, going 87 percent (20-for-23).
- E&H led the rebound battle, 34-30, including a 15-5 margin on the offensive glass. The Wasps led 14-10 on second-chance points and 34-28 on points in the paint.
Up Next
- E&H will return to Old Dominion Athletic Conference action on Saturday when it visits Washington and Lee University.
- Tipoff between the Wasps and Generals is set for 5:00 p.m.
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D3Hoops.com All-Classic Team
Ben College, Whitworth (MOP)
Kashaun Barnes, Ramapo
Ryan Bruns, Ohio Northern
Grant Gibb, Linfield
Joey Kern, Johns Hopkins
Emil Radisevic, Edgewood
Connor Raridon, North Central (Ill.)
Quentin Shields, UW-Platteville
Tharon Suggs, Emory & Henry
Justin Thompson, Husson
