The Runnin Royals picked up an impressive road win Tuesday afternoon, ousting Ferrum College on the road, 91-85.  Eastern Mennonite's basketball men closed the game on a 14-8 run to break off a tie score, toppling a Panthers team which was picked to finish second in the USA South.

The men showed they came to play by winning the opening tip and starting with a three pointer from Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams).  The teams swapped leads until the Royals scored eight unanswered to skip ahead 22-15.  EMU led by as many as nine in the opening half, and was up 43-39 at the break.

In the second, the Royals led by as many as ten points before Ferrum finally put together a run.  The home team scored nine straight and tied the game at 55-55 with 13:10 to play.

With 4:20 remaining, a jumper from Ferrum's Jamal Pullen tied the game up again at 77-77.  The men called a timeout, and responded with a key 6-0 run to surge back in front, 83-77.  RJ Sims (Fort Washington, Md./Friendly) made a pair of free throws to keep the lead at five with 53 seconds to go, 87-82.

Woody Furbush (Bridgeton, N.J./Salem) added two charity tosses, and Sims sealed it with two more with nine ticks left, providing the final 91-85 margin.

After Saturday's 60-foul whistle-fest with Lynchburg, the Royals were called for a season-low 15 fouls.  While they had a season-low three steals, they also were extremely efficient, nailing 28-of-49 two-point attempts.  The men also hit 26-of-37 free throws for a season-best 70%.

Junior Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) was 7-10 from the floor, and was 8-9 from the free throw line for a career high 22 points.  He added three assists.  David Falk (Madison, Va./Madison) notched his fourth double double, going off for 21 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks.  Yates finished with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Sims had 15 points, while James Williams (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) connected for 13.  Each player had four assists.

Pullen led all players with 26 points and 10 rebounds.  Brian Clarke had 17 points and 10 assists.

Eastern Mennonite moves back above .500 with the win, going to 3-2.  They have a little break over Thanksgiving, before hosting Christopher Newport Sunday night at 7:00pm.  The Captains, who went to the NCAA Tournament last year, is effectively ranked No. 32 in this week's D3hoops.com national poll.