BUENA VISTA, Va. - EMU's men's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season on Wednesday, traveling down to Buena Vista to take on Southern Virginia.
It was a tight game at the half, tied at 31, but SVU outscored the Royals 42-34 in the second half to pick up a 73-65 win.
Records: EMU 0-1, 0-0 ODAC | Southern Virginia 1-0, 0-0 USA South
Highlights
First Half
The Royals jumped out to a lead after back-to-back threes by
Aaron Brooks. A steal from
Aviwe Mahlong, who dished it to
Michael Watlington for the layup, put EMU up 8-3 early on. Each time SVU picked up a bucket, EMU was right there to answer as they picked up points from Mahlong,
Kai Johnson and
Nick Ondrus. The teams traded buckets until Southern Virginia was able to push their lead to six, 29-23, with 2:27 left in the half. But EMU responded with a layup from
Myles McIntyre, free throws from
Gabriel Campbell and a four-point play from Mahlong, to take a 31-29 lead. The Knights hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to tie the game at 31.
Second Half
Southern Virginia started the second half on a 13-5 run before a jumper from
Aaron Brooks pulled EMU back within six. After a Knights layup, a three from
Julien Hagerman and a Mahlong free throw cut the Royals deficit to four. SVU answered with a 7-0 run and were able to keep close to a double-digit lead for the next few minutes. EMU started to claw back in after a Daijordan Brown three and a Watlington layup but SVU was able to re-extend their lead, pushing it back up to 10 in the final minute. The Royals hit some buckets down the stretch, but SVU free throws helped them secure the win
Statistical Leaders
Points: Mahlong (16), Brooks (10)
Rebounds: Mahlong (6)
Assists: Brown and Brooks (3)
Steals: Brooks (4)
What's Next
EMU will be back on the road on Sunday when they head to Radford to take on the Highlanders. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 pm.
To keep up to date with everything surrounding EMU men's basketball, follow EMU on Twitter and Instagram, like EMU Athletics on Facebook or visit our website.
