EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (11-8, 6-7 SAC) put up a fight, but eventually came up just short to Lincoln Memorial University (12-7, 8-5 SAC) Wednesday night. The Railsplitters ran out to a 13-point halftime advantage and held on for the 77-68 victory.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Lincoln Memorial 77, Emory & Henry 68
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (11-8, 6-7 SAC); Lincoln Memorial (12-7, 8-5 SAC)
How It Happened
- Both teams struggled on the offensive end of the court to begin the matchup and the Railsplitters held a 10-4 advantage after five minutes of play. The Wasps trimmed the margin to a pair, but LMU answered back with an 11-2 run to give themselves some breathing room at 21-10 with 8:55 to play in the opening half. The squads traded buckets through the middle of the frame and LMU maintained a 29-16 lead at the 2:30 mark. The lead held steady and the Wasps trailed 35-22 heading into the locker rooms at the halftime break.
- It was more of the same to start the second and LMU led 44-32 at the first media timeout of the period. A quick 8-0 run including five consecutive points from freshman guard Melchior Hughes (Geneva, SWITZERLAND) and a trey from junior guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.) over a span of 31 seconds immediately closed the gap to just four points at 44-40. Another LMU run however saw the Railsplitters balloon the margin back out to 57-42. The score stood at 62-47 with 8:40 to play, but the Wasps would not go quietly as they charged back with a 13-2 run of their own to pull back within four at 64-60 with just over four minutes remaining on the clock. That was as close as E&H could muster however, as the Railsplitters took care of the basketball and made clutch free throws to see out the 77-68 win.
Emory & Henry Leaders
- Sophomore forward Isaac Hymes (Phoenix, Ariz.) paced the Wasps with 17 points, five rebounds, one assist and a block. Sophomore guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) went for 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Crawford recorded 10 points, four boards and a pair of assists. Senior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with six points, four rebounds and a blocked shot. The block gave Madassalia 124 for his career, setting a new program record for blocked shots.
Lincoln Memorial Individual Leaders
- Nate Mims led all scorers with a game-high 25 points, six boards, three assists, two steals and a block. Armon Jarrard added 12 points, four steals and a trio of rebounds.
- Jayden Spearman registered 12 points, five helpers, two rebounds and a steal off of the bench for LMU while Walter Campbell had 10 points, four rebounds and a steal.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry finished shooting 53.2% (25-for-47) from the floor, but converted just 25.0% (4-for-16) of their shots from long range. The Wasps were 14-for-18 (77.8%) at the free throw line.
- Lincoln Memorial was 26-for-55 (47.3%) overall and 7-for-15 (46.7%) from deep. The Railsplitters shot 72.0% (18-for-25) at the charity stripe.
- E&H snatched 31 rebounds compared to 28 for the Railsplitters, but LMU put up 11 second chance points while the Wasps managed eight.
- LMU committed just 10 turnovers while E&H turned the ball over on 18 occasions. Lincoln Memorial took advantage of those miscues to the tune of 21 points compared to just four for the Wasps.
- Emory & Henry outscored Lincoln Memorial by a 38-32 margin in the painted area.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry is at home on Saturday, January 31 when the Wasps host the No. 21 nationally-ranked Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. from the John Rutledge King Center.
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