EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (2-4, 0-2 SAC) kept it close through the first 20 minutes of play, but the visiting Bears from Lenoir-Rhyne University (4-2, 2-1 SAC) pulled away in the second as they cruised to a 97-75 South Atlantic Conference victory Saturday afternoon. The Bears took the win by a 97-75 final score.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Lenoir-Rhyne 97, Emory & Henry 75
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-4, 0-2 SAC); Lenoir-Rhyne (4-2, 2-1 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Wasps were hot out of the gate as a pair of threes from freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) and senior guard/forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) helped them run out to the early 8-0 lead. The Bears slowly worked their way into the game and managed to pull within just one at 15-14 at the 12:24 mark. The teams held their ground and it was 21-20 in favor of the home team at the under eight minute media timeout. The squads went back-and-forth through the latter stages of the opening half and the score stood all square at 33-33 with 2:43 to play. LR finished the stanza on a 7-2 run to take the 40-35 lead into the halftime break.
- A quick six-point spurt by the Bears out of the half pushed their advantage out to 11, forcing an E&H timeout. The Wasps closed the gap back to single digits at 57-48 on a bucket from freshman forward Draven Pilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.), but that was as close as they would get for the remainder of the contest. The Bears saw their lead reach as many as 26 on their way to the 97-75 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Brown finished with 17 points, two rebounds and a steal while Dixon posted 17 points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block. Sophomore guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.) added 15 points, six assists, three steals and a rebound.
- Junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded 10 points, six rebounds and a block while junior guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.) had four points, three assists and a rebound.
Lenoir-Rhyne Individual Leaders
- Ziare Wells led all scorers with a game-high 26 points, four rebounds and a steal. Hantz Louise-Jeune had 18 points, five rebounds, one steal and a block off of the bench.
- Conrad Luczynski recorded 15 points, six rebounds, six assists, three blocks and a pair of steals in the win for the Bears.
A Deeper Look
- Lenoir-Rhyne shot 50.8% (33-for-65) from the floor while Emory & Henry was 29-for-59 (49.2%). E&H drained nine shots (47.4%) from deep compared to just five (29.4%) for the Bears.
- LR outrebounded E&H by a massive 46-27 margin and held a 16-4 advantage on second-chance points.
- The Bears were effective in the painted area, outscoring the Wasps by a 52-30 margin.
- The visitors made constant trips to the free throw line as they finished 26-for-35 (74.3%) while the home team shot just 47.4% (9-for-19) from the charity stripe.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry plays its final game before the Thanksgiving Break on Tuesday, November 26 when the Wasps host the Eagles of Carson-Newman University. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. as game two of a doubleheader with the women's team.
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