HICKORY, N.C. – The No. 24 nationally-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne University Men's Basketball Team (14-3, 11-2 SAC) completed the season sweep of Emory & Henry University (4-13, 2-11 SAC) inside Shuford Memorial Arena Saturday afternoon. The Bears had seven different players score in double figures as they downed the Wasps by a final score of 103-67.
The Basics
FINAL SCORE – No. 24 Lenoir-Rhyne 103, Emory & Henry 67
LOCATION – Hickory, North Carolina
VENUE – Shuford Memorial Arena
RECORDS – Emory & Henry (4-13, 2-11 SAC); Lenoir-Rhyne (14-3, 11-2 SAC)
How It Happened
- The Bears jumped on the Wasps early as they ran out to an 18-5 advantage over the opening five minutes of play. A three from senior guard/forward Gabe Brown (Clintwood, Va.) temporarily cut the deficit back to 10, but LR responded with six consecutive points to extend the lead back out to 24-8. The Wasps struggled to gain any momentum in the opening half as the Bears managed to push their advantage out to 56-25 at the half.
- LR picked up where they left off to begin the second stanza as they saw their lead balloon to 76-40 through the first seven minutes. Both teams held serve through the middle stages of the half and the Bears maintained their lead at 93-57 with 3:54 to play. The Wasps had no answer for the LR offensive attack on the afternoon as the home team ran away with the 103-67 victory.
Emory & Henry Individual Leaders
- Freshman guard Sam Ritchie (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.) led the way for the Wasps with a career-high 16 points, two rebounds, one assist and a steal off of the bench. Senior guard Jalen Leftwich (Lynchburg, Va.) added 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals and four assists.
- Brown finished with 11 points, four rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot while junior guard Omari Curley (Prince George, Va.) added 11 points, two rebounds and a steal.
Lenoir-Rhyne Individual Leaders
- Conrad Luczynski registered a double-double with 13 points, 13 rebounds and three assists. Tay Smith posted a team-high 15 points, five rebounds, three seals and an assist while Ziare Wells went for a double-double of 13 points, 11 rebounds and a steal.
- Sam Martin poured in 12 points, five rebounds, three blocked shots and a pair of helpers. Shem Sawy recorded 12 points, four rebounds and an assist in the win.
A Deeper Look
- The Bears shot 44-for-81 (54.%) from the field and made 40% (8-for-20) of their shots from long range. E&H was 20-for-59 (33.9%) from the floor and went 9-for-36 (25%) from beyond the three-point arc.
- The Wasps made more trips to the free throw line as they converted 81.8% (18-for-22) of their attempts. The Bears visited the charity stripe on fewer occasions, but made them count as they went a perfect 7-for-7.
- LR held a massive 57-23 advantage rebounding and outscored the Wasps by a 62-20 margin in the paint.
- The home team took advantage of their work on the offensive glass as they put up 27 second-chance points compared to just eight for the visitors from Emory.
Up Next
- Emory & Henry is back on the road this Wednesday, January 22 when they make the trip to Harrogate, Tennessee to take on perennial SAC power Lincoln Memorial University. Tip is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from Tex Turner Arena.
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