EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry University Men's Basketball Team (4-12, 2-10 SAC) and Mars Hill University (6-9, 4-9 SAC) went back-and-forth all evening inside of the John Rutledge King Center Wednesday night, but the visitors eventually prevailed in overtime. The Lions earned the win by a final score of 91-90 over the Wasps. 

The Basics
FINAL SCORE –  Mars Hill 91, Emory & Henry 90
LOCATION – Emory, Virginia
VENUE – Bob Johnson Court at the John Rutledge King Center
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-12, 2-10 SAC); Mars Hill (6-9, 4-9 SAC)

How It Happened
- The two teams played things close from the opening tipoff and a made three from sophomore guard Jackson Crawford (Daleville, Va.) gave the Wasps a 10-6 advantage at the 16:22 mark. Neither team could find any breathing room and the score was all level at 17-17 with just under ten minutes remaining in the opening stanza. The Lions held a brief lead at 29-25, but E&H responded with a bucket and a pair of free throws from senior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) to knot things up once more at 29-29 with 5:01 on the clock. A three from senior guard/forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) and a bucket by junior forward Assad Madassalia (Brooklyn, N.Y.) pushed the Wasps back ahead and they would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 40-32 advantage into the halftime break.
- Five consecutive points from Madassalia in the opening two minutes out of the half saw the Wasps balloon their lead out to its largest of the game at 45-32. MHU slowly clawed its way back into the contest as they trimmed the deficit to seven at the under 12 minute media timeout. A 14-6 run over the following five minutes saw the Lions take the lead for the first time in the second half at 60-59. The two squads traded blows down the stretch as the lead continued to trade hands. Two more free throws from Leftwich at the 54 second mark gave the Wasps a 76-67 lead, but the Lions would not go quietly. MHU finished with a flurry as they went on an 11-2 run over the final 49 seconds, including a last-second three pointer, to send the game into an extra period.
- The Lions took an early 83-80 in the extra stanza, but back-to-back buckets from Leftwich and Brown pushed the Wasps back ahead 85-83 with 2:15 to play. The teams traded buckets and a made tip-in by the visitors gave them the slim 89-87 advantage at the 22-second mark. Freshman forward Draven Pilson (Winston-Salem, N.C.) drained a clutch three with 14 ticks left to leapfrog the Wasps back into the lead 90-89. MHU came up large in the deciding moments as Kadyn Dawkins made a floater with three seconds left. The Wasps could not get a final attempt off and the visitors escaped Emory with the 91-90 win. 

Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Leftwich paced the Wasps with a game-high 23 points, seven assists, two rebounds and a steal. Brown added 22 points, four blocks, two rebounds, one assist and a steal.
- Crawford finished with 16 points, five rebounds and a pair of assists while Madassalia added to his SAC-leading block total with six swatted shots while scoring nine points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from the floor to keep him atop the conference in field goal percentage. He also had eight rebounds and three assists in the loss. 

Mars Hill Individual Leaders
- Daniel Mayfield led the Lions with 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a block while Marvin Hires had a double-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and a steal.
- Kory Davis contributed 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds and a steal. Dawkins had 10 points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist in the win.

A Deeper Look
- The Wasps finished 31-for-62 (50.0%) from the floor and shot 32.3% (10-for-31) from beyond the three-point arc. MHU shot 38.3% (31-for-81) for the game and 7-for-27 (25.9%) from long range.
- Mars Hill outrebounded Emory & Henry by a 48-40 margin and converted their second chances into 12 points compared to just five for the Wasps.
- MHU converted 22 of their 29 attempts (75.9%) at the free throw line. E&H shot 66.7% (18-for-27) from the charity stripe.
- The Lions held a narrow 42-38 advantage on points scored in the painted area.
- The E&H bench outscored the visitors 28-13. 

Up Next
- Emory & Henry is back on the road this Saturday, January 18 when they travel to take on the No. 24 nationally-ranked Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University. Tip is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. as the second game of a doubleheader with the women's team. 

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