EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team (3-7, 0-3 SAC) put up a fight, but came up short against Southwest Virginia rival the University of Virginia's College at Wise (6-4, 2-2 SAC) in South Atlantic Conference play Wednesday night. The Cavaliers held off a late Wasps rally to take the win by a 77-75 final scoreline.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – UVA Wise 77, Emory & Henry 75
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (3-7, 0-3 SAC); UVA Wise (6-4, 2-2 SAC)
How It Happened
- The first half was closely-contested and the score stood at 11-10 in favor of E&H with 12:51 remaining after a drained three-point jumper from junior guard Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.). The turnover bug bit the Wasps in the opening stanza, as they surrendered 11 miscues to keep the Cavaliers in the game early. The teams could not be separated in the initial 20 minutes of play and the score was all square at 36-36 heading into the locker rooms at halftime.
- E&H came out in the second half and pushed its lead to as many as seven at 50-43, but Wise had an answer and responded with a 12-4 run to jump ahead. The visitors from Wise continued to push the tempo and ballooned their lead out to nine with 2:12 left on the clock. The Wasps would not go quietly and went on an 8-0 run, all coming from the free throw line, to draw within just a point with 80 seconds to play. The Cavaliers were on the money at the line, as they knocked down a pair of free throws to gain some breathing room and E&H could not hit the game-tying three. Wise came up clutch at the charity stripe twice more and a desperation three from Brown at the buzzer was not enough as the visitors escaped with the 77-75 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Brown led the way for E&H with 19 points, five rebounds and a steal while junior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) posted 12 points, six boards, a pair of helpers and a steal. Sophomore forward Jacob Dar (Omaha, Neb.) added 12 points, five rebounds and an assist.
- Junior forward Jake Moynihan (Muncie, Ind.) finished with 11 points and four rebounds. Junior forward Cade Looney (Grundy, Va.) contributed seven points, a game-high seven rebounds and a steal.
UVA Wise Individual Leaders
- Zion Fruster was the catalyst for the Cavaliers as he had a game-high 21 points, six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Ben Bryson added 12 points, two rebounds and an assist.
- Joe'l Pettiford finished with ten points, three rebounds and a blocked shot.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry made 36.7% (22-for-60) of its shots from the field while UVA Wise knocked down 29-of-54 (53.7%) of their shots. The Wasps made seven shots (28.0%) from the three-point arc, compared to eight for the Cavaliers (33.3%).
- The Wasps outrebounded the Cavaliers by a narrow 37-35 margin, but the visitors held a 34-28 advantage on points in the paint.
- E&H capitalized on its trips to the charity stripe, converting 82.8% (24-for-29) while UVA Wise struggled to go just 11-for-22 (50.0%).
Up Next
- Emory & Henry hits the road this Saturday, December 16 when the Wasps travel to the mountains of North Carolina to face off against the Lions of Mars Hill University. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from Chambers Gymnasium.
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