EMORY, Va. – The Wingate University Men's Basketball Team (12-6, 7-2 SAC) topped Emory & Henry College (10-8, 2-7 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs earned the hard-fought win by an 80-78 scoreline.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Wingate 80, Emory & Henry 78
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (10-8, 2-7 SAC); Wingate (12-6, 7-2 SAC)
How It Happened
- The visiting Bulldogs got off to a hot shooting start and ran out to an early 9-2 advantage. The Wasps responded with eight of the next ten points and the score stood at 11-10 in favor of Wingate after five minutes. The squads traded buckets and a three-pointer from sophomore forward Jake Moynihan (Muncie, Ind.) pushed E&H ahead for the first time at 18-17. The Bulldogs would answer once more and increased their lead to as many as thirteen before a made three-point basket from senior Malcolm Morgan (Concord, N.C.) trimmed the deficit to 43-33 at the midway point.
- E&H came out of the break and immediately cut into the Bulldogs' lead. Another made shot from deep off of the hand of Morgan saw the score reduced to just 49-46 with 15:26 remaining on the clock. Wingate maintained its advantage through the middle stages of the second half until a made layup from Moynihan put the Wasps back in front for the first time since the early part of the opening stanza with the score at 60-59 with 7:42 to play. The Bulldogs reclaimed the lead and increased it to as many as ten at the 3:06 mark. E&H would not go away quietly and clawed its way back into the game behind back-to-back three-pointers from Moynihan, followed by consecutive made layups and a big three-pointer from sophomore Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) to make it 78-74 with 46 seconds to play. Junior guard Patrick Antonelli (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) then knocked down two shots from the charity stripe to make the deficit just two with 16 ticks remaining. Wingate came up clutch in the closing moments with a couple of made free throws to hold off the surging Wasps and take the win by a score of 80-78.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Moynihan led the offensive charge for E&H with 21 points and a rebound while Brown posted a double-double with 14 points, ten boards, one steal, one block and an assist.
- Sophomore guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) had 17 points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals. Morgan ended the game with nine points, six rebounds, two helpers, a steal and a block.
Wingate Individual Leaders
- Donell Nixon II led the visitors with 21 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal. Jarren Cottingham added 14 points, six rebounds, three steals and an assist.
- Destin Clark posted 14 points of his own in addition to six assists and five rebounds.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 41.2 percent (28-for-68) from the field while Wingate made 27-of-62 (43.5%) of their shots. Both teams knocked down eight shots from beyond the three-point arc.
- The visitors held a slim 40-39 advantage on the glass and outscored the home team 21-12 on second-chance opportunities.
- Each squad committed 13 turnovers during the game and the Wasps held the 38-34 advantage for points in the paint.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry makes the trip to Mars Hill, N.C. on Wednesday for a midweek SAC matchup with the Lions of Mars Hill University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as game two of a double dip with the women's team.
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