Burrough's Three Pointer Gives EMU Thrilling 76-75 Win At Randolph
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Mennonite (13-8/6-6 ODAC) | 33 | 43 | 76 |
| Randolph (17-4/8-4 ODAC) | 35 | 40 | 75 |
| Lynchburg, VA/RAD Center | |||
| Eastern Mennonite | Randolph |
|---|---|
| Pts: Andrew Thorne - 16 | Pts: BATTAGLIA, Chris - 24 |
| Reb: Dajon Daniel - 6 | Reb: BATTAGLIA, Chris - 12 |
| Ast: Adam Burroughs - 5 | Ast: HORN, Evan - 4 |
| Team Statistics | Eastern Mennonite | Randolph |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 47.5% (28-59 ) | 55.1% (27-49 ) |
| Rebounds | 31 | 30 |
| Assists | 16 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 13 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 15 | 12 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 7 | 6 |
| Pts in the Paint | 28 | 40 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 2 |
| Bench Pts | 22 | 6 |
Adam Burroughs (Roanoke, VA/Northside) buried a long three pointer at the buzzer Saturday afternoon, sending the Eastern Mennonite basketball men to a 76-75 upset win over Randolph College in ODAC action. After a number of close losses, the Runnin Royals finally got a win against one of the league's upper echelon teams, as the WildCats entered the game in third place in the ODAC.
Neither team led by more than seven points in a back-and-forth first half. Randolph led at the break, 35-33.
RC had their lead back up to seven in the second half before the Royals locked it up at 62-62 with 4:39 remaining. Eastern Mennonite had a two-point edge, until the WildCats surged back in front, 71-68. Two free throws from Colton Hunt (Whittier, NC/Smoky Mountain) made the edge 74-70 with just 18 seconds left.
Burroughs assisted R.J. Sims (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) on a big three pointer with 10 ticks left, slicing the deficit to one point at 74-73. The Royals fouled Chris Battaglia (Smithfield, VA/Portsmouth) with five seconds to go, and the senior center made only one of two attempts to push the edge to 75-73.
The Runnin Royals called a timeout with three seconds left, and drew up their play. After the inbounds, Dajon Daniel (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) found Burroughs who drilled the 25-footer as time expired, giving the men a key win in one of the ODAC's toughest places to play.
While the defense struggled to stop the WildCats, who shot 55% from the floor, the offense was executing well. EMU shot 48% overall and 35% from three-point range. The men also committed only 10 turnovers, their second-lowest total of the season.
Andrew Thorne (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) led the Royals with 16 points while Daniel charted 14 points and six rebounds. Sims finished with 11 counters.
Besides his game-winning shot, Burroughs dished out a game high five assists.
Battaglia led all players with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Hunt, one of the top scorers in the nation, was held to 17 points, nine below his season average.
Eastern Mennonite has now won three of their last four games and improves to 13-8 overall. At 6-6 in the ODAC, the men are tied with Bridgewater for seventh place. However, they are a mere two games behind the third-place teams. The top four teams secure a bye into the quarterfinal of the upcoming ODAC Tournament.
The Runnin Royals return home Wednesday night for a big game with Virginia Wesleyan. The Marlins, who beat EMU 60-55 on Jan. 15 in Virginia Beach, are second in the ODAC at 10-2.
