Jan 07, 2011
BUENA VISTA, VA -- The Eastern Mennonite men's basketball team got back on the winning track in a big way Friday night, playing Penn State-Beaver at the Southern Virginia Classic in Buena Vista. The Nittany Lions fought well in the first half, but the Runnin Royals used a pair of big runs to take the lead for good in a 98-71 win.
EMU scored first in the game and held a 12-8 lead before the Nittany Lions dropped in 11 straight points to grab a 19-12 edge just five minutes in.
But the men responded with an 18-2 run over the next four and a half minutes to blow out to a 30-21 edge. PSB stayed calm and ended up with a 16-5 run to go back ahead 37-35.
The final five minutes of the half belonged to the Royals, however, as they closed the frame on a 16-7 streak to lead 51-44 at the break.
Eastern Mennonite scored the first 13 points of the second to push out to a 64-44 edge as Eli Crawford (Staunton, Va./R.E. Lee) hit a jumper with 17:21 to play.
The lead never returned to single digits as the men cruised to the 98-71 win.
Eastern Mennonite made the difference in the game by forcing 37 turnovers while picking up 18 steals.
Todd Phillips (Waynesboro, Va./Waynesboro) led the way with his third straight 20-plus point effort, as the senior dumped in 22 points with a game high seven rebounds. He also had three steals.
George Johnson (Richmond, Va./Miller School) had 18 points with a game high five steals. Crawford finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
D.J. Hinson (Newport News, Va./Menchville) was 3-for-7 from long range and came in with 16 points and three assists. Owen Longacre (Telford, Pa./Christopher Dock) added seven points off the bench.
No. 10 Eastern Mennonite, now 10-2, plays one more game at the SVU Classic on Saturday, locking up with Berkeley College (NJ) at 2:00pm.
EMU scored first in the game and held a 12-8 lead before the Nittany Lions dropped in 11 straight points to grab a 19-12 edge just five minutes in.
But the men responded with an 18-2 run over the next four and a half minutes to blow out to a 30-21 edge. PSB stayed calm and ended up with a 16-5 run to go back ahead 37-35.
The final five minutes of the half belonged to the Royals, however, as they closed the frame on a 16-7 streak to lead 51-44 at the break.
Eastern Mennonite scored the first 13 points of the second to push out to a 64-44 edge as Eli Crawford (Staunton, Va./R.E. Lee) hit a jumper with 17:21 to play.
The lead never returned to single digits as the men cruised to the 98-71 win.
Eastern Mennonite made the difference in the game by forcing 37 turnovers while picking up 18 steals.
Todd Phillips (Waynesboro, Va./Waynesboro) led the way with his third straight 20-plus point effort, as the senior dumped in 22 points with a game high seven rebounds. He also had three steals.
George Johnson (Richmond, Va./Miller School) had 18 points with a game high five steals. Crawford finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
D.J. Hinson (Newport News, Va./Menchville) was 3-for-7 from long range and came in with 16 points and three assists. Owen Longacre (Telford, Pa./Christopher Dock) added seven points off the bench.
No. 10 Eastern Mennonite, now 10-2, plays one more game at the SVU Classic on Saturday, locking up with Berkeley College (NJ) at 2:00pm.