ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Forty minutes of regulation was not enough to separate Emory & Henry University (0-2) and the University of South Carolina at Beaufort (2-0) Saturday afternoon in the Southeast Region Crossover Tournament, as the squads needed two extra periods to determine a winner. The Sand Sharks outlasted the Wasps in double overtime as they earned the 104-102 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – USC Beaufort 104, Emory & Henry 102
LOCATION – St. Augustine, Florida
VENUE – Flagler Gymnasium & Clark Family Court
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (0-2, 0-0 SAC); USC Beaufort (2-0, 0-0 Peach Belt)
How It Happened
- The Wasps began the game on the front foot and a made jumper from freshman forward Draven Pilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) gave E&H an early 17-9 advantage with 11:26 to play in the opening half. The Sand Sharks sliced away at the deficit and drew within three points on multiple occasions, but a made three-point basket by sophomore guard Keishawn Hampton (Buford, Ga.) pushed the margin back out to six at 26-20 at the seven minute mark. The Wasps pushed their lead out to as many as 10, but a made layup at the buzzer by USCB saw the score hold at 45-37 in favor of E&H at the half.
- Emory & Henry immediately increased its lead out to 14 in the opening two minutes of the second stanza on consecutive buckets from junior guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.), junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and senior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.). Beaufort closed the gap to just seven with 12:19 on the clock but once more the Wasps answered with a three from senior guard/forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) and another layup from Leftwich to push the margin back out to 12 at 67-55. The Wasps held a 73-58 lead at the 7:30 mark of the second stanza until the Sand Sharks ripped off a 17-0 run over the following four minutes to leapfrog ahead. The two squads went back-and-forth down the stretch and USCB held a three-point advantage with 13 seconds remaining. Brown came up big in the clutch as he drained a three with just one tick left on the clock to send the game into overtime.
- The first overtime stanza was tightly contested as the teams played within a three-point margin the entire five minutes. The Sand Sharks once again held a three-point lead with 1:44 on the clock, but Brown knocked down another shot from distance to tie things up at 93-93. Neither squad could score over the final 1:21 to force yet another overtime period.
- The second overtime was similar to the first as each team struggled to create any breathing room. A pair of free throws and a made three-point jumper from freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) pushed the Wasps ahead at 100-98, but USCB answered with a bucket and a pair of free throws to make it 102-100. Curley knocked down another shot to tie things up but the Sand Sharks had an immediate response to retake the lead at 104-102. The Wasps had a last chance attempt to win the game that went begging and USC Beaufort escaped with the two-point win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Dixon led the way offensively for E&H as he finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, one steal and an assist. Curley tied his career-high with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal while Brown posted 16 points, five rebounds and four helpers.
- Hampton tallied a career-high 16 points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal off of the bench. Pilson tacked on 10 points, five boards, one steal and a block while Madassalia recorded seven points, a game-high 10 rebounds, four blocks, three assists and a steal.
USC Beaufort Individual Leaders
- Kenney Gaines led all scorers with 35 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal and a block off of the bench for the Sand Sharks. Kevaughn Price added 16 points, seven rebounds, three helpers and three steals while Dominic Eason had 15 points, five rebounds, three steals, one block and an assist.
- Nolan Paladugu chipped in with 14 points, two rebounds, two steals and an assist. Kyle Polce registered 12 points, four steals, four rebounds and an assist in the win.
A Deeper Look
- The Wasps went 38-for-65 (58.5%) from the field while the Sand Sharks shot 43.8% (39-for-89). E&H knocked down 13 shots (43.3%) from beyond the three-point arc compared to just nine (32.1%) for USCB.
- Emory & Henry outrebounded Beaufort by a 47-34 margin, but the Sand Sharks outscored the Wasps 54-44 in the paint.
- The turnover bug was the difference in the game as the Wasps committed 34 errors that USCB converted into 44 points, compared to just 13 turnovers and 14 points off of those miscues.
Up Next
- The Wasps are back on the road on Wednesday, November 13 when they travel to Due West, South Carolina as they look to avenge a loss from last season against the Flying Fleet of Erskine College. Tip is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. from Belk Arena.
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