Box Score Harrogate, TN— Emmanuel College Lions defeat ultimate Conference Rival, Belmont Abbey College in the semifinals of the NCAA D2 Southeast Regional to advance to the finals and into the sweet 16.  

After a win last night over Queens University, The Lions advanced to semifinal play against Belmont Abbey College. 

The first half gave Emmanuel a quick lead, jumping out of the gate scoring 19 in the first ten minutes while Belmont scored 10. 

The lead only extended from there, the Lions going out of the half optimistic and looking for a win, 37-22. 

Belmont Abbey won the last matchup against Emmanuel, winning the Conference Carolinas Championship. However, both team advanced to the tournament and faced up again tonight for their final fight of the season. 

The second half only served to further the Emmanuel lead as the boys put up 39 more points. Belmont fought hard, putting up 31 points in the half but could not bridge the gap to catch up to the runaway Lions. Emmanuel took the semifinal with an outstanding lead, winning 76-53. 

The win was just out of reach despite the efforts from the leading players for Belmont Abbey— #3 Quest Aldridge with 9 points, #00 LJ McCoy, #11 Chandler Baker, and #14 Nate Davis, all with 8 points each. 

The Lions were led to victory by #4 Brandon Simpson was hot from the 3pt line going 4 for 9 and earning 20 total points. #1 KJ Jones II even when double team by the Crusaders still found his way to score 16 points. #13 Kendall Latney achieved a career high with 10 points and #11 Michael Wright with 9 points. 

The Lions move to the final round on Tuesday night at 7:00pm against #2 Lincoln Memorial at Tex Turner Arena in Harrogate, TN. Stay updated on times, live stream, and the team by visiting www.goeclions.com. Be sure to tune in Tuesday night and, as always, GO LIONS!!!