EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Men's Basketball Team (4-9, 1-4 SAC) led by as many as nine, but eventually fell in a South Atlantic Conference matinee to Tusculum University (4-7, 2-3 SAC) on Wednesday afternoon. The Pioneers defeated the Wasps by a 72-65 final score.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Tusculum 72, Emory & Henry 65
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-9, 1-4 SAC); Tusculum (4-7, 2-3 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Wasps got off to a hot start as they ran out to an 11-3 lead at the 13:57 mark of the opening stanza. E&H increased its lead out to 17-9, but Tusculum responded to draw within just two at 21-19 at the under eight minute media timeout. The home team pushed the advantage out to 31-24 with 3:21 remaining in the first half, but the Pioneers finished the frame on a 13-0 run to take a 37-31 lead into the halftime break.
- An 8-0 run in the opening two minutes to start the second half saw the Wasps jump back ahead 39-37 on a made jumper from junior guard Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.). The made bucket also saw Brown eclipse the 1,000 points total for his Wasps career. The two squads traded baskets throughout the middle of the second half, as the game saw multiple ties and lead changes with the teams jockeying for position all square at 63-63 with just 55 seconds left. The visitors from Greeneville outscored the Wasps 9-2 over the remainder of the game and escaped with the SAC win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Brown paced E&H with 14 points, nine rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal. Junior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) added 14 points, two assists and a rebound while sophomore forward Marshall Klug (Greensboro, N.C.) contributed nine points, seven boards, one steal and a blocked shot.
- Junior forward Cade Looney (Grundy, Va.) finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Tusculum Individual Leaders
- Connor Jordan led the Pioneers with a game-high 24 points, two rebounds and two steals while Josiah Morris had 12 points, three rebounds and a pair of steals.
- Akeem Odusipe had a team-high eight rebounds, six points, one assist, one steal and a blocked shot. KJ Crump added 10 points, two boards, two helpers and a steal.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry shot 45.5 percent (20-for-44) for the game with five made three-pointers. The Wasps went 20-for-25 (80.0%) at the free throw line.
- Tusculum hit 24-of-64 (37.5%) of its field goal attempts, connecting on 10 triples (32.3%). The Pioneers hit 70.0 percent (14-of-20) of their free throws.
- E&H held a narrow 36-35 rebounding margin, but the Pioneers led on the offensive glass, pulling down 14 offensive boards compared to seven for the Wasps.
- Turnovers were the deciding factor in the game as E&H committed 23 miscues that Tusculum converted into 26 points, compared to 14 points off of 12 Pioneer turnovers for the home team.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry is back in action this Saturday, January 6 when the Wasps take on defending South Atlantic Conference Tournament champions Catawba College. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. as game one of a doubleheader with the women's team.
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