EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team (14-8, 6-7 SAC) outdueled Anderson (S.C.) University (7-15, 4-8 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference play on Saturday evening for its fourth consecutive victory. The Wasps eclipsed the century mark for the third time this season en route to defeating the Trojans by a score of 107-103.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 107, Anderson (S.C.) 103
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (14-8, 6-7 SAC); Anderson (S.C.) (7-15, 4-8 SAC)
How It Happened
- E&H came out of the locker room ready to play and quickly ran out to a 19-7 advantage after just four and a half minutes elapsed. The Trojans responded and closed the deficit to just 24-18 at the 13:04 mark. The Wasps pushed the margin back out to double digits on a layup from senior guard Kevin Grau Rodriguez (Tampa, Fla.) to make it 36-25. Both squads continued to fill up the basket from the field, as the two teams each made ten shots from deep during the opening stanza. Emory & Henry took the slim 55-51 lead into the halftime break.
- The entire second half was a cagey affair that was played within a margin of 11 points or fewer. The Wasps ran it to 68-57 on a bucket from sophomore forward Jake Moynihan (Muncie, Ind.) at 16:08, but the Trojans battled back to trim the lead to just six. It seemed that every time Emory & Henry was preparing to make a run to pull away from the visitors, the Trojans made big shots to keep it close. The Wasps held a narrow 84-79 advantage with 7:03 left on the clock. Moynihan was huge for the home team in the second half, knocking down shots and converting from the free throw line to keep E&H in front. It looked as if The Wasps would take the easy win with the score at 99-90 with two minutes to play, but once again the team from Anderson, S.C. would not go away, as a flurry of turnovers brought them right back into the game with the score at 104-103 with just sixteen seconds remaining. After a defensive stop, junior guard Patrick Antonelli (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) came up big in the clutch as he calmly knocked down two shots from the charity stripe to clinch the 107-103 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Moynihan led the charge for E&H with a double-double, posting 26 points, 12 rebounds and a block. Antonelli posted a season-high 18 points, seven boards and three assists.
- Sophomore guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) contributed 17 points, five helpers and a rebound while Rodriguez had ten points, two rebounds and two steals.
Anderson (S.C.) Individual Leaders
- Jacksen Greco led the Trojans with a game-high 34 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals while Garrett Denbow posted 26 points and three assists.
- Mason Carver had 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the losing effort.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 54.4 percent (31-for-57) from the field while Anderson (S.C.) made 31-of-62 (50.0%) of their shots. The Trojans knocked down an astounding 18 shots (50%) from long range, compared to 12 shots (48.%) for the home team.
- E&H outrebounded the visitors by a 39-26 margin and outscored the Trojans 36-26 in the paint.
- The Wasps utilized the free throw line to their advantage, converting 33-of-44 attempts (75%). Anderson (S.C.) was also efficient from the charity stripe, knocking down 23-of-26 (88.5%) tries.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry makes the midweek trip to Harrogate, Tennessee on Wednesday to take on the Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., as the second half of a doubleheader with the women's team.
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