HARRISONBURG, VA --- The final score was not indicative of the actual game in EMU's 71-61 loss at home to Hampden-Sydney Saturday night.  After a second half which was locked in a single possession game, the visiting Tigers scored the final nine points to win by ten, the biggest lead by either team on the night.

The two teams traded leads throughout the second, with Eastern Mennonite holding their final advantage at 51-50 after Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) hit a jumper with 6:31 left to play.  H-SC answered with a quick 7-0 run to re-take the lead, but the Royals got back within one when David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison) made a pair of free throws with 3:24 remaining.

With the score at 62-61, the Tigers got a jumper from Khobi Williamson, forced an EMU turnover, then had Williamson put down a dunk after an offensive rebound.

Kwa McDonald (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw, and another Hampden-Sydney score suddenly made it 68-61 with just 1:33 to go.  The Royals were forced to shoot threes but went 0-for-4  the rest of the way to seal their defeat.

The Tigers had led by as many as nine in the first half before EMU came back.  Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) drained a triple to tie the score at 30-30 just before halftime.  H-SC led 32-30 at the break.

Most stats were quite close in the game.  Hampden-Sydney had a slight edge in shooting at 48% to 44%,  but made the biggest difference with a 41-28 commanding of the boards.  The Tigers also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.

Falk led the way for EMU with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth double double of the season.  Crump came in with 12 points, five boards and four assists.  Yates finished with 10 and James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) also had four assists.  McDonald had a good game off the bench, canning a trio of threes for nine points.

Williamson provided a great battle inside with Falk, and he led all scorers with 23 points.  H-SC's big man also had 10 rebounds.  Mike Murray added 15 counters.

The loss is the Royals' third in a row and drops them to 6-7 overall and 1-3 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.  Next up is a home date with rival Bridgewater College (7-5, 2-2 ODAC) on Wednesday.  Game time in Yoder Arena is 7:00pm.