EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (8-5, 3-4 SAC) made history Wednesday night as the Wasps defeated Carson-Newman University (8-5, 3-4 SAC) for the first time in program history. It was the 20th matchup between the two storied programs, dating back to when the teams were members of the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference. E&H led throughout the entirety of the contest as they established a big 41-23 halftime lead and cruised to the 83-73 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 83, Carson-Newman 73
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (8-5, 3-4 SAC); Carson-Newman (8-5, 3-4 SAC)
How It Happened
- The two teams struggled to score the basketball to begin the game and the score stood deadlocked at 7-7 at the 13:30 mark. The Emory & Henry offense came to life through the middle stages of the first half, utilizing a 15-0 run over nearly five minutes of action, including three consecutive jumpers from long range by freshman guard Melchior Hughes (Geneva, SWITZERLAND), to give themselves some breathing room at 29-12 with six minutes to play. The Wasps continued their efficient play in the opening stanza, knocking down seven shots from beyond the arc while holding the Eagles to just 21.2% shooting (7-for-33) to take the 18-point advantage into the locker room.
- The Wasps' margin eclipsed the 20-point mark at 50-29 in the first five minutes of the second frame, but the Eagles slowly drew themselves back into the contest and trimmed the deficit to just 10 with 9:26 to remaining. E&H had an answer for every attempted Carson-Newman run down the stretch, keeping the visitors at arm's length. C-N brought themselves within eight at 73-65 with 4:16 on the clock, but junior guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.) had an immediate answer as he drilled a shot from long range to push the margin back out to 11 at 76-65. The Eagles closed the gap to eight once again with 90 ticks left on the clock, but that was as close as they would get as junior guard Jaden Andrew (St. John's, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA) knocked down a pair of clutch attempts from the charity stripe to seal the historic win for the Wasps.
Emory & Henry Leaders
- Crawford was the tip of the offensive spear for Emory & Henry, collecting a team-high 22 points, three rebounds and a trio of assists. He was also a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) added 19 points, three rebounds and a steal.
- Junior Isaac Hymes (Phoenix, Ariz.) reached double figures in scoring for the second consecutive game, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds and an assist. Hughes posted 12 points on four made threes, while adding one assist and a steal. Senior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded a game-high 11 rebounds, five points, four blocked shots and four assists.
Carson-Newman Individual Leaders
- The SAC's leading scorer Jack Browder finished with a double-double of a game-high 28 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and a pair of blocked shots despite shooting just 4-for-23 from the field. Browder converted 20 of his 21 attempts from the charity stripe.
- Matt Bilbrey went for 23 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal while Caiden Botts chipped in with eight points, two rebounds and a pair of assists.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry was 48.2 percent (27-for-56) from the field, hitting 12 three-pointers (44.4%). The Wasps went 17-for-20 (85.0%) at the charity stripe.
- Carson-Newman shot a paltry 18-of-62 (29.0%) overall and was 9-for-28 (32.1%) from deep. The Eagles were great at the charity stripe, knocking down 90.3 percent (28-of-31) of their free throws.
- The Eagles outrebounded the Wasps by a narrow 37-36 tally, and outscored E&H 21-10 on second chance points.
- C-N forced 11 turnovers while committing nine and led 16-7 on points off of those turnovers.
- The Wasps dominated in the painted area, putting up 24 points compared to just 14 for the visitors.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry is back on the road this Saturday, January 10 at Coker University. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. as the nightcap of a doubleheader with the women's team.
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