Adam Burroughs Buries Buzzer Beater to Lift EMU Past Randolph Men 76-75 Saturday
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| East. Mennonite (13-8/6-6 ODAC) | 33 | 43 | 76 |
| Randolph (17-4/8-4 ODAC) | 35 | 40 | 75 |
| Lynchburg, VA/RAD Center | |||
| East. Mennonite | Randolph |
|---|---|
| Pts: THORNE, Andrew - 16 | Pts: Chris Battaglia - 24 |
| Reb: DANIEL, Dajon - 6 | Reb: Chris Battaglia - 12 |
| Ast: BURROUGHS, Adam - 5 | Ast: Evan Horn - 4 |
| Team Statistics | East. 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 |
LYNCHBURG, VA – Eastern Mennonite University guard Adam Burroughs nailed a 22-foot three-pointer as time expired to push the Royals past the Randolph College men's basketball team 76-75 in league action from the Randolph Athletics and Dance (RAD) Center Saturday.
The WildCats (17-4/8-4 ODAC) took a four-point lead after a pair of Colton Hunt (Whittier, NC/Smoky Mountain) free throws with 18 seconds to play. The Royals (13-8/6-6 ODAC) got a quick three pointer from RJ Sims to make the game 74-73 in favor of the WildCats with just under 10 seconds to play.
Randolph hit one of its next two from the line, prompting EMU head coach Kirby Dean to take a timeout. After the inbounds following the timeout, the WildCat defense did a nice job of denying Dajon Daniel the ball, forcing Burroughs to have to take the fall away effort with just over a second to play. The shot entered the net just as time expired, giving Eastern Mennonite the win.
Randolph had held the lead the majority of the second stanza, leading by as much as seven on a pair of occasions, the latest being with 9:59 to play after a pair of free throws from Chris Battaglia (Smithfield, VA/Portsmouth). EMU pulled even with 4:39 to play, and took its first lead of the second half with 3:27 left.
With a few minutes to go and the game tied at 68, first-year Jason Eddie (Charlotte, NC/Davidson Day School) knocked down a three-pointer to put the 'Cats out in front. Randolph led the rest of the way until Burroughs' heroics saved the Royals.
Battaglia had his best game as a collegiate player offensively, as the 6-9 center poted a career-high of 24 points to go with a career-high 12 rebounds. He also shot nine-of-15 from the floor and blocked a pair of shots. Hunt finished with 17 points on five-of-eight shooting, pick up five rebounds and three assists, and Evan Horn (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill) tied his career-high with 11 points, dishing out four assists and picking up two steals as well.
Eddie chalked up a final total of nine points and Mike Ehilegbu (Raleigh, NC/Ravenscroft) added eight points and two steals on the afternoon. The WildCats shot 55.1 percent from the floor, making 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the line. Randolph did not shoot as well as it has though from downtown, making 26.7 percent from deep.
EMU got a game-best from senior Andrew Thorne, who finished with 16 points, going six-of-11 on field goals attempts. Daniel added four points and a team-leading six rebounds, and Sims finished with 11 points. EMU's bench scoring was key, as the Royals' bench outscored Randolph's reserves 22-6. The Royals fired 28-of-58 from the field, making 10 of its 29 attempts (34.5 percent) from three-land.
The WildCats will continue their three-game homestand this Wednesday evening at 7 p.m. as the Quakers of Guilford College come to town for an ODAC contest in the RAD Center. Randolph faculty and staff will be honored by each player during halftime of the game.
--RANDOLPH--
