EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (2-2) wrapped up the non-conference portion of its 2024-25 schedule with a dominant 82-56 win over border rival King (Tenn.) University (0-4) Saturday afternoon. The Wasps established a 14-point lead at the half and cruised to the big victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 82, King (Tenn.) 56
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-2, 0-0 SAC); King (Tenn.) (0-4, 0-0 Carolinas)
How It Happened
- The Wasps took the lead early in the opening half and a made three by freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) gave E&H the 17-13 advantage at the first media timeout. The Tornado answered back and managed to close the gap to just six at 27-21 with eight minutes to play in the first. A quick 12-4 run over the following five and a half minutes propelled the Wasps forward to give them the 39-25 margin. The teams traded a couple of buckets and the home team took the 43-29 lead into the break.
- King trimmed the deficit to 10 in the first five minutes of the second stanza at 47-37, but that was as close as the Tornado would get for the remainder of the game. Another 10-0 run for the Wasps, capped off by a made layup from junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) gave E&H the 20-point lead. The Wasps increased their lead out to as many as 28 on their way to the big 82-56 win over their border rivals from Tennessee.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Freshman forward Draven Pilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was the tip of the offensive spear with a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and an assist. Dixon poured in 17 points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist while senior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) added 14 points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Madassalia stuffed the stat sheet with four points, six boards, six blocks, three assists and three steals. Junior guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.) finished with nine points, four rebounds and an assist in the win.
King (Tenn.) Individual Leaders
- Mikhail Pocknett recorded 19 points, nine rebounds, two steals and an assist while Petar Mijatovic posted 10 points and four rebounds off of the bench.
- Xavier Betancourt had nine points, five rebounds, a team-high three assists and a steal.
A Deeper Look
- The Wasps went 30-for-56 (53.6%) from the field while the Tornado shot just 35.9% (23-for-64). E&H knocked down six shots from behind the three-point line, shooting 30.0% (6-for-20). King went just 2-for-15 (13.3%) from distance.
- King outrebounded Emory & Henry by a narrow 38-36 margin, but the Wasps outscored the visitors 44-34 in the painted area.
- The Wasps committed 13 turnovers that were converted into just nine points while forcing the Tornado to cough up the ball on 18 occasions, turning those miscues into 20 points.
- E&H was great in transition, tallying 26 fastbreak points compared to just four for the visitors. The Wasps' bench also outscored the Tornado's reserves by a 45-21 margin.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry opens up South Atlantic Conference play on Wednesday, November 20 when they play host to Southwest Virginia rival the University of Virginia's College at Wise. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team.
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