Feb 19, 2011
GREENSBORO, NC -- The nice part about having the five seniors that EMU has is that any one of them are capable of taking over a game. Saturday afternoon it was D.J. Hinson (Newport News, Va./Menchville). With two starters already fouled out of the game, Hinson took over in overtime, forcing a second OT and then providing the winning points in a thrilling 84-82 win at Guilford.
After the Quakers scored the first nine points in the game, the Eastern Mennonite regrouped and led by as many as seven in the first half.
The Runnin Royals scored the first 10 points of the second, pushing their lead to 52-38 after George Johnson (Richmond, Va./Miller School) made three free throws and then hit a triple.
Guilford slowly whittled the lead down and eventually tied the game at 63-63. EMU took a 69-67 lead on two Hinson free throws with 3:42 left in regulation. Neither team would score again until the Quakers' Martin Stephenson tied the game with a jumper in the lane with two seconds left.
The teams traded leads in overtime, but Guilford locked it back up at 73-73 with a free throw when Todd Phillips (Waynesboro, Va./Waynesboro) fouled out with 39 seconds left in the first OT.
After a timeout, the Royals worked the ball around and R.J. Sims (Fort Washington, Md./Friendly) missed a three pointer with six seconds to go. GC's Josh Pittman got fouled getting the rebound and hit both tosses to put Guilford up by two, but Hinson came right down and sliced through the lane to force a second OT with a layup.
Minus Phillips and Orie Pancione (Augusta, WV/Hampshire), Hinson willed EMU to victory. He drained a triple to give the men the first lead in the second extra session.
Guilford tied it up with a three-point play, but Eli Crawford (Staunton, Va./R.E. Lee) scored with an assist from Johnson to keep the Royals ahead.
After the teams traded missed shots, the Quakers got fouled after an offensive rebound, making just one of two tosses to trim the lead to one with 1:07 to go.
Hinson again got into the lane and pushed the lead back to three with 39 seconds on the clock, but Stephenson drilled an open three with six seconds left, providing the game's 12th tie at 82-82.
Hinson then worked his magic, getting fouled with 2.9 seconds to go for the game-winning free throws.
The victory not only locks up the third seed in the upcoming ODAC Tournament, but also gives the Runnin Royals an eight-game winning streak to close the regular season. The streak also ties the longest in program history.
Hinson tied his season high with 19 points as the Runnin Royals finish the season 21-4 overall and 12-4 in the ODAC. EMU comes in just a game behind both Virginia Wesleyan and Randolph-Macon at 13-3.
The official brackets for the ODAC Tournament will be released later Saturday evening, but the Royals know they have the third seed and a bye in the quarterfinals. They will play Friday, Feb. 25, in Salem.
EMU shot 39.7% against the Quakers, while Guilford finished at 39.1%. The men made the difference in the game by hitting 26-of-31 free throws. The home team was just 18-27.
Johnson finished with 15 points and four steals. Phillips, Crawford and Pancione each charted 12.
Stephenson and Pittman had 19 apiece to lead Guilford, which finishes fourth in the ODAC at 16-9 and 10-6.
After the Quakers scored the first nine points in the game, the Eastern Mennonite regrouped and led by as many as seven in the first half.
The Runnin Royals scored the first 10 points of the second, pushing their lead to 52-38 after George Johnson (Richmond, Va./Miller School) made three free throws and then hit a triple.
Guilford slowly whittled the lead down and eventually tied the game at 63-63. EMU took a 69-67 lead on two Hinson free throws with 3:42 left in regulation. Neither team would score again until the Quakers' Martin Stephenson tied the game with a jumper in the lane with two seconds left.
The teams traded leads in overtime, but Guilford locked it back up at 73-73 with a free throw when Todd Phillips (Waynesboro, Va./Waynesboro) fouled out with 39 seconds left in the first OT.
After a timeout, the Royals worked the ball around and R.J. Sims (Fort Washington, Md./Friendly) missed a three pointer with six seconds to go. GC's Josh Pittman got fouled getting the rebound and hit both tosses to put Guilford up by two, but Hinson came right down and sliced through the lane to force a second OT with a layup.
Minus Phillips and Orie Pancione (Augusta, WV/Hampshire), Hinson willed EMU to victory. He drained a triple to give the men the first lead in the second extra session.
Guilford tied it up with a three-point play, but Eli Crawford (Staunton, Va./R.E. Lee) scored with an assist from Johnson to keep the Royals ahead.
After the teams traded missed shots, the Quakers got fouled after an offensive rebound, making just one of two tosses to trim the lead to one with 1:07 to go.
Hinson again got into the lane and pushed the lead back to three with 39 seconds on the clock, but Stephenson drilled an open three with six seconds left, providing the game's 12th tie at 82-82.
Hinson then worked his magic, getting fouled with 2.9 seconds to go for the game-winning free throws.
The victory not only locks up the third seed in the upcoming ODAC Tournament, but also gives the Runnin Royals an eight-game winning streak to close the regular season. The streak also ties the longest in program history.
Hinson tied his season high with 19 points as the Runnin Royals finish the season 21-4 overall and 12-4 in the ODAC. EMU comes in just a game behind both Virginia Wesleyan and Randolph-Macon at 13-3.
The official brackets for the ODAC Tournament will be released later Saturday evening, but the Royals know they have the third seed and a bye in the quarterfinals. They will play Friday, Feb. 25, in Salem.
EMU shot 39.7% against the Quakers, while Guilford finished at 39.1%. The men made the difference in the game by hitting 26-of-31 free throws. The home team was just 18-27.
Johnson finished with 15 points and four steals. Phillips, Crawford and Pancione each charted 12.
Stephenson and Pittman had 19 apiece to lead Guilford, which finishes fourth in the ODAC at 16-9 and 10-6.