Vaysbakh Explodes In The Second Half, Lifts Coker Past Emory & Henry

HARTSVILLE, SC. - Jonah Vaysbakh poured in a career high 27 points, while Coker erased a first half deficit to take down Emory and Henry 102-91. The Cobras drained 20 three pointers on the night, as seven Cobras made atleast one.

BY THE NUMBERS:
Score: Coker 102, Emory and Henry 91
Recrods: Coker 15-7 (11-7) | Emory and Henry 5-18 (3-16)
Location: Hartsville, Sc. | Deloach Center 

TOP PERFORMERS:
Jonah Vaysbakh: 27pts, 3ast

Judson Coan: 22pts, 6reb

Logan Murray: 16pts, 2reb, 3ast

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The game started in a hurry Saturday night as Judson Coan tipped the opening jump ball to Glenn Bynum Jr. who missed a contested layup, but was followed up by Sebastian Cole immediately to get the scoring started. Cole then drained a three pointer just one minute later, and the Cobras led 5-0 forcing Emory and Henry into an early timeout. Out of the timeout, Ian Blue made a three pointer of his own, and the Cobras were up 8 to 0 in the blink of an eye. By the time the two made it to the first media timeout, Coker led 10-5. 

The Wasps battled back, and held a 32-25 lead at the under 8 media timeout. Landon Butler drilled a three pointer out of that break, and brought Coker within four. The Wasps then went on another run, and found themselves leading by eight with five minutes remaining, as they played stout defense on the Cobras forcing multiple missed three point attempts. Coker closed the first half on a run, and eventually at the first halves end trailed 51-48. 

At the break, Coker shot 42.9 percent from the field, and 36.0 percent from behind the line. The Wasps poured in a 54.1 percentage from the field. Coker forced nine first half turnovers on Emory and Henry, and assisted on 11 of their 20 made shots. Judson Coan, Ian Blue, and Logan Murray all scored nine first half points to lead Coker. 

In the second half, the two teams traded baskets early. When Jonah Vaysbakh checked into the game at the 9 minute mark, that changed. He drained a three to give Coker a 76-75 lead immediately after checking in, and then hit another one just one minute later to push the Cobra lead to seven. The freshman didn't stop there though, after an Emory and Henry miss, the Cobras raced down the floor finding Vaysbakh once more for yet another three. By the time the damage was done, and Coker made their usual line change, they led 86-75. 

From there, the Cobras were able to finish the game strong, and never let the Wasps back into it. The Cobra lead grew to as many as 14 over the course of the final six minutes, and eventually, the Cobras fended the Wasps off to pick up their 15th win on the season. On the night, Coker shot 45.7 percent from the field, and shot 42.6 percent from three. The Cobras forced 17 turnovers out of Emory and Henry, as Sebastian Cole swiped away three steals on the night. Coker assisted on 21 made baskets, with Cole adding a team high 5. The Cobras were led by Vaysbakh's game and career high 27 points, with Judson Coan pouring in 22 of his own. Logan Murray also added 16 points on the night.

NOTABLES:

Jonah Vaysbakh has now scored in double figures in 4 of 6 games since being inserted into the lineup. 

UP NEXT:
Coker returns to play on Wednesday night when they travel to Catawba.