Seventh-Seeded EMU to Meet #2 Randolph-Macon in Quarterfinals
HARRISONBURG, Va. --- Rivalry games always
have a little something special about them, and Tuesday night was
no exception when Eastern Mennonite hosted rival Bridgewater in an
ODAC Tournament First Round game. The Runnin Royals scored
the 15 in the game, but trailed at halftime before running away
with a 79-65 decision.
Seventh-seeded EMU heads into the ODAC Quarterfinals where they
will play second-seeded Randolph-Macon. The two teams have
also developed a rivalry in the last few years, including R-MC
winning twice this year on buzzer-beating three pointers.
The ODAC Quarterfinal matchup will be at 6:00pm Friday night at
the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA.
But Tuesday night, the Runnin Royals had to take care of their
fiercest rivals.
In the opening minutes, the game looked like a
blowout. R.J.
Sims (Fort Washington, MD/Friendly) personally
scored the first eight points of the contest and EMU zipped to a
15-0 lead.
Bridgewater regrouped, however, and used a 16-2 run to tie the
score at 28-28 with 5:28 to go in the half. The Royals got
back in front, but BC drew a charge with five seconds left and then
nailed a three pointer at the buzzer to take their first lead of
the night, 35-34 going into halftime.
EMU came out strong in the second and never looked
back. Andrew
Thorne (Front Royal, VA/Skyline) scored the first
four points to put the men back in front. Owen
Longacre (Telford, PA/Christopher Dock) banked in
a three pointer to increase the lead to 48-38 with 13:10 left.
A Ronnie Thomas (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) jumper got the Eagles
back to within five at 52-47, but then EMU unleashed a 14-4 run
over a span of 2:27, blowing the lead to 66-51 with 6:09 left in
the game. Thorne scored five straight in the run, followed by
Sims scoring seven in a row.
Bridgewater never recovered from there as the Royals rolled out to
the First Round win.
Thorne led all players with a career high 24 points, including 19
in the second half. The junior added eight rebounds, three
assists and two steals.
EMU Coach Kirby Dean felt his team's dry spell in the first half
had something to do with Thorne sitting on the bench with two
fouls.
"I thought we played really well except for that ten-minute
stretch in the first half," he said. "When Drew's not in
there we're a different team. He's doesn't have to score to
make us go. He's really become a complete player. At
halftime I second guessed myself on whether I should have left him
in since we lost a 15-point lead. But at the end of the game
when he took over I was happy to have him in there. He made
me look smart."
Sims didn't look too shabby himself, as the smooth sophomore
finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three
steals. He was 4-for-6 from three point range.
Longacre added 11 points, five assists and two blocked
shots. David
Falk (Madison, VA/Madison) also had a pair of
blocks. Point guard Dajon
Daniel (Fredericksburg, VA/Mountain View) made
his presence felt with a game high 12 rebounds, including seven
offensive boards.
Aaron Adams (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) led Bridgewater with 13
while Thomas charted 12 points and five assists. Ed Reddick
(Virginia Beach, VA/Kellam) was good for 11 points.
Eastern Mennonite forced 23 turnovers while committing just 15 of
their own. The Royals had only two in the second half.
BC had a slight edge in shooting at 47% to 42%, but EMU erased that
by dominating the boards, 47-30. The Runnin Royals also had
26 offensive rebounds.
Dean was ecstatic that his young team could win an ODAC Tournament
game at home after such an up-and-down season.
"I'm pleased for them and happy for them," Dean said of his
players. "Of all the teams I've had, they've deserved some
success after how hard they've worked and when you consider the
heart-breaking losses they've had to persevere through. There
has been no quit in these guys."
Eastern Mennonite, now 12-14, seems to be gaining momentum at just
the right time, taking a three-game winning streak to Salem.
Three wins in the Salem Civic Center would earn the men a bid to
the national tournament.
The ODAC Semifinals are Saturday evening with the Championship
game Sunday afternoon.
--- This release is
courtesy of the Eastern Mennonite University sports information
department. ---
www.emuroyals.com