EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team (6-18, 3-12 ODAC) kept its postseason hopes alive, earning a thrilling double-overtime victory over No. 13 Virginia Wesleyan University (19-4, 11-3 ODAC) Saturday afternoon in Old Dominion Athletic Conference action. The Marlins' national ranking comes from D3hoops.com, as they are also the No. 3 squad in the NCAA Division III South Region.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 94, No. 13 Virginia Wesleyan 89
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (6-18, 3-12 ODAC); Virginia Wesleyan (19-4, 11-3 ODAC)
How It Happened
- The opening 20 minutes were a stalemate with neither team leading by more than four points. The first half had four ties and 12 lead changes alone as the Wasps and Marlins went into the break deadlocked at 36.
- Emory & Henry scored the opening eight points of the second half as part of a larger 13-2 run for a 49-38 advantage with 13:37 left in regulation. The Marlins began to chip away at the lead, finally tying the contest at 59 apiece. E&H would go back ahead by seven (68-61) before VWU responded with a 13-4 run to go up 74-72 with 1:03 on the clock.
- The Wasps tied things up on a layup by freshman guard Malcolm Morgan (Concord, N.C.) with 36 seconds left, leaving the Marlins with the last chance which came up short, 74-74.
- In the first overtime, Virginia Wesleyan stormed out to a five-point lead, 79-74, before Emory & Henry scored six in a row to retake the advantage. Down by three with 47 seconds remaining, the Marlins' Tim Fisher tied the contest at 84 with a three-pointer. After forcing a turnover on E&H's next possession, VWU went back down the court and had two chances to take the contest, but both caromed off the iron to keep the score knotted at 84.
- In the second extra period, the Marlins went ahead early again, but eight in a row by the Wasps nearly put the nail in the coffin. Virginia Wesleyan would get within three (92-89) on a layup by Daniel Spencer, but a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Jake Martin (Wytheville, Va.) with 25 seconds remaining eliminated all doubt as E&H escaped with the 94-89 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Senior guard Colin Molden (Apex, N.C.) posted a game-high 30 points on 13-for-26 shooting to go along with four assists and two rebounds while sophomore guard Jordan Grant (Orlando, Fla.) finished with 20 points, four boards, four steals and three assists.
- Sophomore guard Anthony Williams (Lynchburg, Va.)recorded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds while Morgan scored 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds off the bench.
Virginia Wesleyan Individual Leaders
- Fisher went for a team-high 27 points, adding eight rebounds and four assists as Jordan White notched 20 points.
- Spencer tallied a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds while Corey Pelham went for 12 points and seven boards.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 45.8 percent (33-for-72) for the game, and was 7-for-11 (63.6%) in the overtime periods. The Wasps hit 24-of-30 (80%) of their free throws.
- Virginia Wesleyan went 32-for-80 (40%) for the game with 12 three-pointers but poor free throw shooting in the second half (8-for-16; 50%) proved to be costly.
- VWU held a 47-44 rebounding advantage, but E&H used its 10 offensive rebounds effectively, leading 14-12 on second-chance points.
- The Wasps held a 52-34 lead on points in the paint and 15-7 on points off turnovers.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry will close out the season next Saturday when it hosts Shenandoah University at 2:00 p.m. The contest, which will be the first of a doubleheader with the E&H Women's Basketball Team, will also serve as Senior Day for the Wasps.
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