EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (5-16, 3-14 SAC) hung around for the opening 20 minutes of play, but visiting Wingate University (9-9, 8-8 SAC) eventually pulled away for a South Atlantic Conference win Saturday evening inside the John Rutledge King Center. The Bulldogs held a narrow six-point lead at the half en route to an 80-67 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Wingate 80, Emory & Henry 67
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (5-16, 3-14 SAC); Wingate (9-9, 8-8 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Wasps were the aggressors to begin the game as both squads struggled to put the ball in the basket and E&H held on to an 11-5 lead after the opening five minutes. The Bulldogs slowly chipped away at the Wasps' advantage and a 13-0 run over a three minute and 18 second span gave Wingate a 24-15 lead. Emory & Henry answered back over the final stages of the opening half and a three-point bucket from freshman guard Sam Ritchie (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) trimmed the deficit to just three points at 32-29, but Jordan Miller knocked down a last-second shot for the visitors to give them the 35-29 lead heading into the locker rooms.
- Wingate pushed its advantage back out to double digits over the first 90 seconds of the second half as they ran the score out to 41-29, forcing an E&H timeout. The Bulldogs continued to score the basketball efficiently as they saw their lead balloon out to as many as 22 at 80-58 with 1:23 to play. The Wasps finished the game on a 9-0 run, but it was too little too late as the visitors took the win by the 80-67 final.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Freshman guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) was the leading scorer for Emory & Henry as he finished with a team-high 18 points, four rebounds and an assist off of the bench. Freshman forward Draven Pilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) added 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal while Ritchie went for nine points, four rebounds and a steal.
- Junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded eight points, four rebounds, two blocked shots, one assist and a steal. Senior guard/forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) had seven points, two rebounds and a pair of blocks in the loss.
Wingate Individual Leaders
- Kendall Taylor led all scorers as he posted 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a steal while Corbin Pack had 17 points and four rebounds while shooting 5-for-6 from three-point range.
- Jaden Lingo registered 12 points, three rebounds and an assist. Aaron Hall just missed out on a double-double as he finished with 10 rebounds, nine points and three helpers.
A Deeper Look
- Wingate shot 24-for-57 (47.4%) from the floor and 56.3% (9-for-16) from deep. Emory & Henry was 23-for-54 (42.6%) overall and converted 29.6% (8-27) from beyond the three-point arc.
- WU took advantage of its opportunities at the free throw line as they knocked down 17 of their 21 (81%) attempts. The Wasps struggled at the charity stripe, shooting just 59.1% (13-for-22).
- The Bulldogs held a 41-29 advantage on the glass and converted those rebounds into 13 second-chance points compared to just one for the Wasps.
- Both teams scored 28 points in the paint and E&H held a narrow 14-11 advantage on the fastbreak.
- The Emory & Henry bench was effective, outscoring the visitors by a 34-20 margin.
Up Next
- The Wasps are on the road next Wednesday, February 5 when they travel to Greeneville, Tennessee to take on the Pioneers of Tusculum University. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the second half of a SAC doubleheader.
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