SALISBURY, N.C. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (2-7, 0-5 SAC) overcame an early deficit to take a lead into halftime against Catawba College (5-4, 3-3 SAC) Saturday night, but could not seal the deal as the Catawba Indians rallied for a South Atlantic Conference win. The home team escaped with a 95-92 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Catawba 95, Emory & Henry 92
LOCATION – Salisbury, North Carolina
VENUE – Goodman Arena
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (2-7, 0-5 SAC); Catawba (5-4, 3-3 SAC)
How It Happened
- The teams went back-and-forth to begin the game and the Catawba Indians led by a narrow 11-10 margin after four minutes. Catawba scored 11 of the next 13 points to increase their lead out to 22-13 at the under 12 minute media break. The Wasps roared back with an 11-4 run over the following five minutes as a three ball from freshman forward Draven Pilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) closed the gap to just two at 26-24. The home squad pushed its advantage back out to nine at 37-28, but once more E&H had an answer as they rattled off a 14-3 run capped off by a three from junior guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.) to take a 42-40 lead. Each team tacked on free throws at the end of the half and the visitors from Emory held on to a 45-42 advantage at the halftime break.
- The second half was played tightly throughout as neither team could create enough breathing room to hold a comfortable margin. The squads traded buckets through the opening eight and a half minutes of the second stanza and the score stood all square at 59-59. The Catawba Indians came to life out of the media timeout as they rolled for a quick 9-2 spurt over the following 90 seconds to establish a 68-61 lead. Another run from the Wasps, this of the 9-2 variety, saw them tie things up once more at 70-70 on a made layup from sophomore guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.). Catawba settled in during the latter stages of the half and strung together a streak of made baskets to create a bit of separation at 89-81 with 2:17 left on the clock. The Wasps would not go down quietly as they stormed back and an old-fashioned three-point play from freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) trimmed the Catawba advantage to just a pair at 91-89 with 40 ticks remaining. The Catawba Indians made a pair of free throws to push it back out to four points, but Pilson drained a big three with just five seconds left to reduce the margin to just one. Catawba converted both of their chances at the stripe and a last-second attempt from the Wasps came up empty as the home team eked out the 95-92 win.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Pilson was huge for the Wasps as he tied his career high with 26 points, four rebounds and an assist off of the bench. Dixon added 17 points, five rebounds and three assists while Curley posted 16 points, two steals and an assist.
- Crawford posted 15 points, three assists and a pair of steals to go along with senior guard Jalen Leftwich's (Lynchburg, Va.) seven points, five assists and three rebounds.
Catawba Individual Leaders
- Nick Walker led all scorers with 33 points, eight rebounds, one steal and a blocked shot. Ibra Athie registered a double-double as he finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of assists.
- Kris Robinson contributed 11 points, three rebounds and three assists while Montraivis White had eight points, four assists, two rebounds and a pair of steals.
A Deeper Look
- Catawba finished 33-for-63 (52.4%) from the field while E&H shot 49.1% (28-for-57). The Wasps filled up the basket from deep as they knocked down 13 shots (38.2%) from deep compared to just four (30.8%) for the Catawba Indians.
- The home team cleaned up on the glass as they outrebounded E&H by a 39-24 margin and held a massive 30-7 advantage on second-chance points.
- Catawba forced the ball inside as they scored 52 points in the paint while the Wasps managed to tally just 28 points in the lane.
- Both teams were effective at the charity stripe as E&H made 23 of their 25 attempts (92.0%) and Catawba converted 25 of their 30 attempts (83.3%).
- The Catawba Indians got out in transition, outscoring the Wasps 17-2 on the fastbreak.
Up Next
- The Wasps have a week off, but return to the court next Saturday, December 14 when they make the trip to the mountains of North Carolina to take on the Lions of Mars Hill University. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. as game two of a doubleheader with the women's squad.
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