FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. - The Emmanuel College men's basketball team defeated conference opponent Erskine College on Tuesday night, 79-74. This win brings the Lions record to 20-8 overall, 13-2 in conference.

The Lions grabbed a brief lead in the beginning after a couple good setups from Senior Kendrick Colvin allowed Freshman Kyler Ingram an easy path to the rim. Junior Nathan Williams added to the score with an early three-pointer. That lead would be short lived as a solid Erskine defense began to slow the Lions down. The Flying Fleet kept pressure on the Lions and began to build a lead the would last almost the entire night. Better rebounding and shooting put the Fleet ahead 31-26 in the first half. 

Upon returning to the court, the Fleet continued to expand their lead. Nine minutes into the second half, Erskine was up by 11 points for their biggest lead of the night. The Lions would go on several runs to put them within just a couple of points, but the Fleet would retain that lead and begin to pull away again. Finally, with three minutes on the clock, Kendrick Colvin would give the Lions the lead for the first time since the opening minutes with a successful layup. The Fleet fired right back with a three-pointer from Jordan Watson to take the lead back. Erskine would hold the lead until Derek Vandiver delivered a critical three-pointer to tie the match up, 74-74. With under a minute remaining, Senior Austin Greene made a big steal and drove the ball in to take the lead. A turnover from Erskine followed and Williams capitalized with another layup. One last free throw from Sophomore Brandon Simpson would seal the game for Emmanuel, 79-74.

The Lions were led by Austin Greene with 22 points.

Next up, the Lions will head to Limestone College on Saturday, February 16th. In their previous matchup, the Lions won 96-81.

For more news on Emmanuel College Athletics, visit goeclions.com.