EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (3-10, 1-8 SAC) kept things close for the opening 20 minutes of play, but could not hold off a surging Anderson (S.C.) University (8-5, 4-5 SAC) team that pulled away in the second half of a South Atlantic Conference matchup Saturday afternoon. The Trojans earned the victory by an 89-69 final score.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Anderson (S.C.) 89, Emory & Henry 69
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (3-10, 1-8 SAC); Anderson (8-5, 4-5 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Trojans were hot out of the gate as they ran out to an early 8-2 lead over the opening two and a half minutes of play. The Wasps settled in and a layup from freshman forward Draven Pilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) brought them within a pair at 12-10 with 13:54 to play in the opening half. Anderson pushed their lead back out to 18-13, but E&H responded with a 10-0 run to leapfrog into the lead 23-18 at the 8:41 mark. The teams went back-and-forth and a pair of free throws by redshirt sophomore guard Christian Drummer (Lawrenceville, Ga.) tied things up at 27-27 with just under seven minutes remaining. Both squads shot the ball well down the stretch of the first stanza and a layup from freshman forward Cross Chadwick (Blountville, Tenn.) gave the Wasps a brief 40-39 lead, but the Trojans knocked down a jumper as time expired to push them ahead 41-40 heading into the locker rooms.
- Anderson began the second half the same way then began the first as they shot lights out from the field, utilizing a 25-6 run over the opening 9:17 of play to establish a 66-46 advantage. The Trojans continued to fill up the basket as they managed to push their lead out to as many as 23 points in the second half. The Wasps cut the deficit to 16 on an old-fashioned three-point play from senior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.), but that was as close as they would get as the Trojans rolled to the 89-69 South Atlantic Conference victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Senior guard/forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) was the leading scorer for E&H, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds, two blocks and a pair of assists. Leftwich added 12 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal off of the bench.
- Pilson went for 10 points, two steals and a pair of boards while junior guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.) posted 10 points, four assists and a pair of steals. Junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributed six points, four rebounds, two blocks and an assist.
Anderson Individual Leaders
- Austin Webb paced the Trojans with a game-high 27 points, six rebounds and a steal while Dallas Jones registered 18 points, six rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot.
- Cole Middleton finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots and a pair of steals. AJ Wright, Jr. had a double-double of 10 points, 10 assists, four rebounds and four steals in the win.
A Deeper Look
- Anderson finished the game shooting 59.7% (37-for-62) from the field while knocking down 10 shots (58.8%) from beyond the three-point arc. The Wasps were 26-for-58 (44.8%) for the game and made eight attempts (30.8%) from long distance.
- The Trojans held a large 52-30 advantage on points scored in the painted area.
- The visitors outrebounded E&H by a 34-28 margin and converted 16 Emory & Henry turnovers into 24 points, while the home team forced 13 miscues and managed just 14 points off of those mistakes.
- AU got out in transition as they outscored the Wasps 20-8 on the fastbreak.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry returns to action on Wednesday, January 8 when the Wasps host the Pioneers of Tusculum University. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the second half of a doubleheader with the women's team.
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