Emory, VA: The Alice Lloyd College Eagles placed four players in double figures enroot to an impressive 76-69 victory over the home-standing Emory and Henry Wasps. The matchup took place on November 12th
Emory and Henry came into this game feeling confident as they had just played NCAA DI Radford University very close in an exhibition match before falling, 84-72. Nevertheless, in the opening half, things started well for the equally-confident Eagles. The Kentucky boys scored the first five points only to see the home club quickly answer with seven points of their own (7-5).
From that point, the squads traded buckets for virtually the remainder of the half. Although the Wasps would lead 30-28 with 5:30 remaining, little did the home crowd realize that this would be the final advantage for the Virginia team.
Sparked by solid offensive execution, the Pippa Passes posse would close the half on an 11-5 run and take a 39-35 lead at intermission.
In the second half, the Caney Creek crew would fight to hold their advantage. A power layup from sophomore forward Damon Tobler would push the lead to eight (61-53) as the clock reached the midpoint of the stanza.
E&H refused to go away quietly and battled to stay close. Fortunately, Alice Lloyd would not be intimidated as sophomore forward Ben Soumahoro pumped in seven big points to help maintain the lead.
Later, when the Wasps sliced the score to 71-67 at the 1:53 mark and appeared to have momentum on their side, fifth-year senior guard Noah Young and junior guard Bryce Slone coolly drained the clutch free throws to silence the fans and place the contest out of reach.
For the victors (3-0), four players would reach double digits. Soumahoro would lead the way with 14 points, 7 in each half, on 5-8 FG. He also grabbed 7 rebounds. He was followed in scoring by Slone who drained 3-7 from long range, to finish with 13. He also led the team with 4 assists and 3 steals.
Young and Tobler both reached double digits with 13 and 12 points respectively. Junior forward Will Philpot just missed his third consecutive double-double, finishing with 9 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. He added 2 blocks. Junior center Colyn Sturgill chipped in with 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 big blocks
Alice Lloyd shot 50.9% (29-57) from the floor, and 38.5% (5-13) from behind the arc. They finished 68.4%% (13-19) from the foul line. They also gain 34 rebounds, while adding 8 assists,6 steals, and 6 blocks.
Emory and Henry (0-1) was led by Cade Looney with 18 points. His squad shot 42.6% (29-68) from the floor, and 24% (6-25) from behind the arc. They finished 62.5%% (5-8) from the foul line, and also had 35 rebounds, 11 assists, and 7 steals.
The Eagles return to action this week for two big RSC Conference games. They will first travel on Wednesday, November 17th to battle the Indiana University Grenadiers at 7:30 pm. They will stay in the Hoosier State for a Friday contest at Indiana University Kokomo. Tipoff is set for 1:00 pm.