EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team (1-2, 0-0 SAC) picked up its first victory of the season in thrilling double overtime fashion over King (Tenn.) University (0-3, 0-0 Carolinas) in non-conference play Thursday night. The Wasps earned the win by a 98-94 final score. It was the first double overtime game for E&H since February 15, 2020 when the Wasps defeated No. 13 nationally-ranked Virginia Wesleyan 94-89.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 98, King (Tenn.) 94
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (1-2, 0-0 SAC); King (Tenn.) (0-3, 0-0 Carolinas)
How It Happened
- The two squads traded blows early in the first half and the Wasps clung to a narrow 17-16 lead with 10:04 remaining on the clock. E&H increased its lead to seven on a pair of free throws from junior guard Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.), but the Tornado responded with 11 of the next 15 points to draw level at 32-32. The teams could not be separated and the score stood at 37-37 heading into the halftime break.
- The second half began similarly to how the first ended, with a back-and-forth game that saw the Wasps with the 50-47 advantage at the under 12 minute media timeout. The second half was a tight-knit affair that saw six lead changes and three ties. E&H pushed its lead out to seven with three minutes to play on a made layup from sophomore guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.), but King would not go away and recorded seven consecutive points, including a game-tying jump shot from Amarius Beasley, and 40 minutes of regulation would not be enough to name a winner.
- E&H ran out to an early lead in the first overtime period, but once again the Tornado responded and jumped in front 82-79 with under a minute remaining. Brown came up big in the clutch as he buried a three from distance to tie the game with 41 ticks remaining. Curley knocked down a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left and it looked as if the Wasps had won the game, but Mikhail Pocknett drove the lane and put home a layup to tie the score at 84-84 and send the matchup of border rivals into a second extra stanza.
- The second overtime was no different from the rest of the game, as the two teams were neck and neck down the deciding moments all square at 92-92 with 1:14 left. Sophomore forward Jacob Dar (Omaha, Neb.) was the difference as he knocked down a huge three with 51 seconds remaining and made a clutch free throw a few seconds later to put the Wasps ahead for good, as they escaped with the 98-94 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Brown paced the Wasps with 22 points, nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks while Dar finished with a career-high 22 points, four rebounds, four blocks and a pair of assists. Junior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) posted a double-double with 13 assists, 11 points and five rebounds.
- Curley finished with a career-high 16 points, five steals, four boards, one block and an assist. Junior forward Cade Looney (Grundy, Va.) contributed eight points, seven rebounds and a pair of assists in the winning effort.
King (Tenn.) Individual Leaders
- Pocknett was huge for the Tornado as he led all scorers with 33 points off of the bench while adding five rebounds, three blocks, an assist and a steal. Jordan Akal posted 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 44.6 percent (33-for-74) from the field while King made 36-of-80 (45.0%) of their shots. The Wasps knocked down 11 shots (44.0%) from the three-point arc, compared to just five for the Tornado (25.0%).
- The Wasps outrebounded King by a 52-41 margin, but the Tornado held a massive 58-44 advantage on points in the paint.
- E&H committed 27 turnovers that King converted into 27 points. The Wasps forced 18 miscues from the Tornado and parlayed them into 20 points.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry makes the trip to Charleston, South Carolina on Saturday, November 18 for a neutral site matchup against the Buccaneers of Barry University in the Charleston Cup Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. from McAlister Field House on the campus of The Citadel.
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