MARS HILL, N.C. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (13-8, 8-7 SAC) looked as if it was destined for a disappointing road loss to Mars Hill University (9-12, 3-12 SAC) Wednesday evening, but the Wasps rallied late to take down the Lions inside Sanford Arena. The Wasps trailed by as many as 16 until storming back for a 66-64 victory thanks to a game-winning floater by junior guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.). The win gives E&H eight conference victories for the season, the most since transitioning to the Division II ranks and the most for the program since the 2018-19 season when the Wasps finished 9-7 in ODAC play.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – Emory & Henry 66, Mars Hill 64
LOCATION – Mars Hill, North Carolina
VENUE – Stanford Arena
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (13-8, 8-7 SAC); Mars Hill (9-12, 3-12 SAC)
How It Happened
- The contest was back-and-forth through the opening ten minutes of action and neither team could create any separation with the score sitting at 10-10 with 11:37 remaining in the opening half. The Wasps rattled off a 12-2 run over the next six minutes, capped off by a triple from freshman guard Melchior Hughes (Geneva, SWITZERLAND) to give the visitors from Emory a 22-12 advantage. The Lions finished the half with a flourish, putting up 19 unanswered points to take the 31-22 lead into the locker room at the half.
- MHU began the second half the same way they ended the first, reeling off a 10-3 run over the first four minutes to push their advantage out to its largest of the contest at 41-25 at the 15:50 mark. The Wasps slowly worked their way back into contention at 43-37 with 11:51 to play on a three from Crawford, but Mars Hill answered back with nine of the following 11 points to balloon the margin back out to 52-39. E&H would not go quietly, rallying to pull back within striking distance on another three from Hughes to cut the deficit to 59-52 with 5:02 remaining. The Wasps ripped off five straight, and yet another jumper from long distance from Hughes gave E&H its first lead since the 3:51 of the first half at 60-59. Mars Hill immediately jumped back in front with a triple of their own with 2:07 left, but a pair of free throws knotted the score once more at 62-62. The Lions retook the lead on a layup with 50 ticks left on the clock, but sophomore guard Sam Ritchie (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) calmly knocked down a pair of attempts from the charity stripe to level things again at 64-64 with 36 seconds left. The Wasps forced a Mars Hill turnover with 21 seconds remaining to set the stage for a last-shot opportunity. Crawford drove into the lane with the seconds ticking away and lofted a floater over the outstretched arms of a swarm of Lions that kissed off of the rim and backboard before finding its way through the net to give E&H the 66-64 lead. A last-second, half-court attempt from the Lions was off the mark and the Wasps escaped with the big SAC road win.
Emory & Henry Leaders
- Hughes led the offense with 14 points, two rebounds and a steal off of the bench while Crawford finished with 10 points, five helpers, three boards and a pair of steals.
- Sophomore guard Korbin Dixon (Milton, Ontario, CANADA) collected 13 points, four steals and a rebound. Ritchie added eight points, one assist, one rebound and a steal while junior guard Jaden Andrew (St. John's, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA) had seven points, four assists and a pair of rebounds in the win.
Mars Hill Individual Leaders
- Keenan Wilkins led all scorers with a game-high 25 points, six rebounds and a trio of assists. Jaheim Taylor went for 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
- Marvin Hires recorded nine points, four boards, one steal and a blocked shot while Jon Brandtner finished with seven points and four rebounds.
A Deeper Look
- Emory & Henry was 22-for-59 (37.3%) from the floor overall and 12-for-35 (34.3%) from behind the three-point line. The Wasps struggled at the free throw line, making just 47.6% (10-for-21) of their attempts.
- Mars Hill shot 39.6% (19-for-48) from the field and 33.3% (4-for-12) from three. The Lions were 22-for-29 (75.9%) at the charity stripe.
- MHU held a 41-34 rebounding advantage and a slight 6-4 margin on second chance points.
- E&H was active on the defensive end, forcing 18 MHU turnovers that they converted into 19 points. The Lions made the Wasps cough up the basketball on nine occasions for 10 points.
- The home team forced the ball inside, outscoring E&H by a 30-20 margin in the painted area.
- The reserves for each team contributed, with the Wasps' bench putting up 27 points while the Lions' bench had 24.
- The back-and-forth affair saw eight ties and a whopping 16 lead changes.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry continues its road swing on Saturday, February 7 when the Wasps travel to face off against the Wolves of Newberry College. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. from Eleazer Arena.
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