EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (10-6, 5-5 SAC) mounted a furious late rally after trailing by as many as 20 to visiting South Atlantic Conference opponent Wingate University (8-8, 3-7 SAC) Saturday afternoon. The Wasps comeback would fall just short as the Bulldogs escaped with a narrow 83-79 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Wingate 83, Emory & Henry 79
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (10-6, 5-5 SAC); Wingate (8-8, 3-7 SAC)
How It Happened
- Wingate came out swinging to start the contest as the Bulldogs established a 9-0 advantage in the first two minutes to force an Emory & Henry timeout. The Bulldogs saw their lead continue to grow, reaching double digits at 17-5 at the 13:39 mark of the opening half. The Wasps slowly worked their way back into the game and a putback from junior guard Jaden Andrew (St. John's, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA) with 8:30 remaining cut the deficit to five at 21-16. The Bulldogs were on the money shooting from the field in the first half, posting a clip of 56.7% to take a 40-26 halftime lead.
- The Bulldogs saw their lead reach its largest of the afternoon just over two minutes into the second half as the score stood at 46-26. After trailing 51-33, the Wasps recorded seven consecutive points to reduce the margin to 51-40 with 13:02 to play thanks to a layup from sophomore forward Isaac Hymes (Phoenix, Ariz.). Wingate had an answer for every attempted Emory & Henry run through the middle stages of the half and the game looked to be out of reach with the score sitting at 78-62 with 2:41 to play, but the Wasps had other ideas. Hymes drilled back-to-back jumpers from three-point range and a dunk from sophomore guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) trimmed the Wasps' deficit to 78-70 at the 1:35 mark. Andrew forced a Bulldog turnover and drained a pair of free throws to make the Wingate lead just six. Wingate struggled against the swarming E&H defense, committing yet another turnover and Dixon knocked down a pair of attempts from the charity stripe and the score was 78-74. Wingate would convert their two free throws, but Andrew struck back immediately with a jumper from deep to make it 80-77 with 24 ticks left. Wingate was able to make a bucket and junior guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.) calmly made a pair from the free throw line to set the stage at 82-79 with eight seconds remaining. Wingate was able to inbound the ball successfully and made one of two free throws to put the game out of reach and narrowly escape Emory with the win.
Emory & Henry Leaders
- Freshman guard Melchior Hughes (Geneva, SWITZERLAND) had a team-high 17 points, five rebounds, one assist and a steal off of the bench to lead the Wasps. Dixon collected 16 points, three boards and a pair of assists.
- Hymes posted 13 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists while Crawford went for 13 points and a trio of assists. Andrew finished with 11 points, four assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Wingate Individual Leaders
- Kendall Campbell had a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal while Alex Godley recorded 17 points, five rebounds and an assist.
- Corbin Pack went for 10 points, two assists and a rebound while Isaiah Vick registered eight points, eight rebounds and two helpers in the win.
A Deeper Look
- E&H shot 41.7% (25-for-60) overall from the field and 13-for-38 (34.2%) from deep. The Wasps were 16-for-22 (72.7%) at the free throw line.
- Wingate finished shooting a blistering 58.2% (32-for-55) overall and 43.8% (7-for-16) beyond the three-point arc. The Bulldogs converted just 66.7% (12-for-18) of their attempts at the charity stripe.
- Wingate outrebounded Emory & Henry 34-28, but the Wasps recorded 12 second chance points compared to just seven for the Bulldogs.
- WU dominated in the painted area, outscoring E&H by a big 46-22 margin.
- Emory & Henry took care of the basketball, committing just eight turnovers while the Bulldogs turned it over on 11 occasions.
- The Bulldogs led for the entire contest.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry hits the road on Wednesday, January 21 when the Wasps travel to take on the Pioneers of Tusculum University. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the nightcap of a doubleheader with the women's program.
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