DUE WEST, S.C. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (1-2) overcame a halftime deficit to pick up its first win of the season against Erskine College (0-3) Wednesday evening. The Wasps outscored the Flying Fleet by a 26-point margin in the second half to earn the 86-62 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 86, Erskine 62
LOCATION – Due West, South Carolina
VENUE – Red Myers Court at Belk Arena
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (1-2, 0-0 SAC); Erskine (0-3, 0-0 Carolinas)
How It Happened
- The Wasps began the game on fire as they scored the first 12 points, capped off with a three-point basket from senior guard/forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) at the 16:53 mark. Erskine slowly worked its way back into the game and managed to close the gap to three at 15-12. Another E&H run saw them push the lead back out to 24-12 as senior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) buried a three with 8:36 to play. The Flying Fleet responded with a 14-1 run of their own to leapfrog into the lead 26-25 at the 5:13 mark. The teams traded blows down the stretch of the opening half and the home team managed to push their advantage out to as many as seven at 39-32. The Wasps closed the stanza on a 7-2 rally and trailed by a pair with the score at 41-39 at the halftime break.
- The teams continued to go back-and-forth to begin the second frame and the score stood deadlocked at 50-50 with just under 14 minutes remaining. The Wasps kicked it into gear through the middle of the half as they posted a 15-0 run over the following seven minutes of play to establish some breathing room. Erskine had a made layup at the 6:59 mark to end the run, but the Wasps were not finished as they spurted for another 14-2 rally. Freshman forward Draven Pilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) drilled four threes over the run to help the Emory cause. The visitors from Emory never looked back as they cruised to the 86-62 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Pilson was the offensive catalyst for the Wasps as he led all scorers with 26 points and three rebounds off of the bench. Brown recorded a double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and three assists while sophomore guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.) added 14 points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal.
- Freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) finished with 10 points, a game-high six assists, five rebounds, one steal and a block. Junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) registered eight points, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and a pair of assists in the win.
Erskine Individual Leaders
- William Bush had a team-high 15 points, four assists, four steals and a pair of rebounds off of the bench while Makayl Rakestraw contributed 11 points and a rebound.
- Max Peeler posted 11 points and Grant Lovette had eight points, three steals, three boards and an assist.
A Deeper Look
- The Wasps went 33-for-68 (48.5%) from the field while the Flying Fleet shot just 37.3% (19-for-51). Both teams knocked down 14 shots with E&H and Erskine posting shooting percentages of 37.8% and 48.3% respectively.
- Emory & Henry outrebounded Erskine by a 40-31 margin and outscored the Flying Fleet 32-10 in the paint.
- The Wasps took much better care of the basketball in the win as they committed just 10 turnovers that were converted into 13 points while forcing the Flying Fleet to cough up the ball on 17 occasions, turning those miscues into 28 points.
Up Next
- E&H returns to Emory on Saturday, November 16 when they host border rival King (Tenn.) University for the 2024-25 home opener. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. as the nightcap of a doubleheader with the women's team.
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