EMORY, Va. – The Erskine College Men's Basketball Team (2-7, 0-3 Carolinas) overcame multiple double-digit deficits to pick up just their second win in a 41-game span as they defeated Emory & Henry College (4-8, 1-3 SAC) in non-conference action Tuesday afternoon. The Flying Fleet defeated the Wasps by a 72-69 final score in overtime.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Erskine 72, Emory & Henry 69
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-8, 1-3 SAC); Erskine (2-7, 0-3 Carolinas)
How It Happened
- The Wasps came out on the front foot, as they ran out to the early 12-2 advantage with 15:11 remaining in the opening half. E&H pushed its lead out to 19-7 before a 15-2 run by the Flying Fleet gave them their first lead of the game at the 5:07 mark. The home team settled in down the stretch of the opening half, and an 11-3 rally capped off by a made jumper from junior guard Kevin Taylor (Acworth, Ga.) gave the Wasps the 32-25 margin heading into the locker room at halftime.
- E&H pushed its lead back out to double digits at 41-31 with 15:51 on the clock, but once again the Flying Fleet had an answer with a 12-4 run to draw within a pair at 45-43. Another E&H run, this one 14-6, pushed the Wasps' advantage back out to ten with 4:42 remaining. Erskine finished regulation on a 10-0 run to tie the game and send things into overtime.
- The overtime stanza was a tight affair and the two squads traded buckets to stand all square at 69-69 with eight seconds remaining. Jayden Bird knocked down a three-point jumper as time expired to send the visitors back to South Carolina with the 72-69 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Junior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) led E&H with 17 points, two rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot while junior guard Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) added 11 points, six rebounds, a pair of assists and a pair of steals.
- Sophomore forward Jacob Dar (Omaha, Neb.) had 11 points and a rebound. Taylor finished with eight rebounds, seven points, one helper and a blocked shot.
Erskine Individual Leaders
- Bird paced the Flying Fleet with 26 points, one rebound and an assist while Jaylen Prioleau contributed 14 points, four rebounds, two steals, one assist and a blocked shot.
- Corey Gaines posted eight points, eight assists, six rebounds and six steals in the win for the visitors.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry made 45.9% (28-for-61) of its shots from the field while Erskine knocked down 23-of-65 (35.4%) of their shots. The Wasps made ten shots (29.4%) from the three-point arc, compared to 13 for the Flying Fleet (39.4%).
- The teams were dead even on the boards as they each recorded 40 rebounds. E&H held a large 32-18 advantage on points in the paint.
- Erskine capitalized on its trips to the charity stripe, converting 76.5% (13-for-17) while the Wasps went just 3-for-9 (33.3%).
- The Erskine bench came up big, outscoring E&H 40-26.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry is back in action after the Winter Break on Wednesday, January 3 when the Wasps take on the Pioneers of Tusculum University for Education Day. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. as game one of a doubleheader with the women's team.
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