EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry Men's Basketball Team (2-6, 0-4 SAC) gave No. 24 nationally-ranked Coker University (6-0, 4-0 SAC) all it could handle in South Atlantic Conference action Wednesday evening inside the John Rutledge King Center. The Wasps ran out to a 14-point halftime lead, but could not hold off the charging Cobras as the visitors took the win by a 112-109 final score. 

The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Coker 112, Emory & Henry 109
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-6, 0-4 SAC); Coker (6-0, 4-0 SAC)

How It Happened
- The game began at a frantic pace that would last throughout and the Cobras held a narrow 12-9 lead at the first media timeout. A quick 15-6 run over the following four minutes of play saw the Wasps leapfrog into the lead at 24-18, capped off by a made layup from junior guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.). E&H continued to push the pace and a three by senior guard/forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) gave the Wasps their largest advantage of the game at 33-23 with 10:33 to play in the opening half. Coker responded with eight consecutive points to reduce the deficit to just one at the 8:50 mark. The two teams traded points down the stretch of the opening stanza and the lead traded hands on multiple occasions with the Wasps clinging to a 41-40 margin with 6:33 to play. Another 9-0 run culminated with a three from freshman guard Sam Ritchie (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) saw the home team's lead grow back out to double digits at 50-40. The Wasps were not done as they continued to pile on the points. A made three-point jumper from senior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) with 40 seconds to play gave E&H its largest margin of the game at 17 points. The Cobras added a pair of buckets to end the half and the Wasps led 69-55 at the break.
- The second half began the same way the first ended with both teams making a concerted effort to push the pace. Coker pulled within 11 at 78-67, but another three by Ritchie increased the margin back out to 14 with 14:36 on the clock. The Cobras would not go away as they slowly worked their way back into the contest and reduced the deficit to single digits at 85-76 at the under 12 minute media timeout. Coker caught fire from distance through the middle of the frame, as they utilized the three ball to chip away at the Wasps' lead. A made basket from distance off of the hands of Ian Blue made it a 91-85 game in favor of E&H with just under 10 minutes remaining. The teams went back-and-forth down the stretch of the game and another bucket from Blue cut the Wasps' lead to just one at 98-97 at the 4:28 mark. The Cobras tied the game up at 100, but an immediate answer came in the form of a layup by junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and a pair of free throws from freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) with two minutes on the clock. The Wasps pushed the lead back out to five at 107-102 on yet another three from Ritchie, but the Cobras struck back with an 8-2 run to jump ahead 110-109 with just 10 seconds left. Brown had a look from deep to take the lead with four seconds left, but it was no good and Coker made a pair of free throws to clinch the 112-109 victory. 

Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Brown led the offensive charge for Emory & Henry as he finished with a team-high 22 points, six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Dixon posted his first career double-double as he had 18 points, a career-high 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Madassalia recorded a career-high 16 points, eight boards, five blocks, two assists and two steals.
- Redshirt sophomore guard Christian Drummer (Lawrenceville, Ga.) registered 12 points, three rebounds and a block off of the bench while Ritchie finished with a career-high 11 points, four rebounds and an assist. Leftwich contributed 11 points, eight assists, three rebounds and a steal.

Coker Individual Leaders
- Blue was huge for the Cobras as he had a game-high 25 points, five assists and four steals. Sebastian Cole had 24 points, two assists and a steal for the visitors.
- Jamie Muldowney posted 12 points, seven rebounds, two steals and an assist while Max Hurray had 11 points and a pair of rebounds.

A Deeper Look
- The Wasps shot 59.2% (42-for-71) from the field while the Cobras finished 37-for-73 (50.7%). Coker filled up the net from long range as they knocked down 16 shots (50%) compared to 10 (37%) for the home team.
- E&H outrebounded the visitors by a 41-29 margin on the glass and took advantage in the painted area, outscoring Coker 62-42.
- Both teams capitalized in transition as they scored 29 points each.
- Coker took advantage of their trips to the charity stripe as they converted on 22 of their 24 attempts (91.7%). Emory & Henry finished 15-for-20 (75%) from the line. 

Up Next
- The Wasps hit the road this Saturday, December 7 when they make the trip to take on the Catawba College Catawba Indians. Tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. as game two of a doubleheader with the women's team. 

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