The Eastern Mennonite University men's basketball team rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final minute of the game but key free throws from Virginia Wesleyan gave the Marlins a 97-92 conference win Wednesday night in the Batten Center.

EMU shot 55 percent from the floor (33-of-60) for their third highest scoring output this season. Freshman guard George Johnson (Richmond, Va./Miller School) had a team high 17 points with five other Royals scoring in double figures.

Tyler Fantin led the Marlins with 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field with Stephen Fields and Tonton Balenga each scoring 15 points. EMU has had four straight road games with conference opponents ranked in the top-30 in the country in Division III with the Marlins ranked 16th in the latest D3Hoops.com poll.

"We played hard on defense, but a lot of their missed shots gave them offensive rebounds which led to an easy bucket or free throw," said EMU head coach Kriby Dean.

The Marlins controlled the game from the tip-off as Fantin hit two buckets from the charity stripe to put VWC up 2-0. The lead grew to as much as 15 in the next 10 minutes of play with Fantin (12 points) and Norman Hassell (10 points) scoring in double figures.

The Royals mounted a late charge in the final minutes of the first half with buckets from senior center Corey Bailey (Centreville, Va./Brentsville District), and freshman wing Todd Phillips (Waynesboro, Va./Waynesboro) cutting the deficit to 11. Johnson hit a big three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining to send EMU into the locker room down by eight (45-37).

In the second half the Marlins stranglehold on the lead shrunk to four points as freshman Rashawn Hannah (Woodbridge, Va./Forest Park) and Johnson gave the team momentum with a couple of baskets. Julius Carlton pushed the lead back up to six for the home team with Fantin and Fields giving the Marlins more breathing room with buckets of their own.

EMU went down by 15 at one point but did not go away quietly as freshmen D.J. Hinson (Newport News, Va./Menchville) dropped in a trey (6:11 on clock), giving VWC an 11 point advantage. EMU stayed within striking distance with the Royals only down 10 with 1:02 remaining. The Marlins laid back on defense, allowing Hinson to stroke another three-pointer with senior guard Jered Lyons (Takoma Park, Md./St. Johns at Prospect Hall) recording a triple of his own in the Royals next possession to put EMU down by five (following a free throw by Balenga). Balenga hit two free throws for the Marlins after an EMU foul with Johnson then streaking down the court and hitting the third consecutive three-pointer for the Royals from five feet behind the arc with only 29 seconds remaining (93-89). The Royals put the Marlins on the line with the hope of VWC missing their attempts and giving EMU another chance but Fields stroked all four of his chances from the charity stripe to seal the win.

Senior forward Brad Parkes (Winchester, Va./James Wood) had 16 points and eight boards for EMU with Hannah tallying 14 points in his first start of the season. Hinson (13 points), Lyons (12 points), and Phillips (10 points) also scored in double figures off the bench for EMU. Phillips was 4-of-4 shooting from the field while Lyons stroked 4-of-5 from behind the arc.

"We need to build on this," added Dean. "Even though we did not win there are still some positives we can build on for this upcoming weekend."

The Royals will welcome in Emory & Henry College on Saturday, January 26, for a 6 p.m., contest while Guilford College comes calling on Sunday, January 27, for a 3 p.m. showdown in Yoder Arena.