SPARTANBURG, SC - The men's basketball team played their regular season finale on Thursday night at Converse University. The Lions defeated the Valkyries, 64-57, giving Emmanuel a final regular season record of 19-8 overall and 18-5 in Conference Carolinas. The Lions now have the 2 seed in the playoffs, earning them a bye to the semifinal round set for Saturday, March 5 at 2:30pm in Spartanburg, SC. 

The Lions struggled from the field in the first half, converting on 29% of their attempts (10-34) including 3 of 10 from beyond the arc. Despite leading 12-3 early on, the Lions would trail 26-30 at the half as the Valkyries came storming back. 

Converse maintained their lead for much of the second half, but with just under 8 minutes remaining in the game a layup from sophomore KJ Jones II gave Emmanuel a lead they would never relinquish. The Valkyries stayed within a possession with less than two minutes on the clock until senior Tyonn Stuckey drained a corner three at the 59 second mark to make the score 62-57. Jones converted both free throws after getting intentionally fouled 30 seconds later, resulting in a final score of 64-57. 

The sophomore duo of KJ Jones II and Jayvion Rucker combined for nearly two thirds of Emmanuel's points, putting up 22 and 19, respectively. Rucker added 9 rebounds while Jones grabbed 7 boards and dished out 6 assists. 

Next up, men's basketball will head to Spartanburg for the semifinal round of the 2022 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship. Their opponent will be determined based off the results from the first three rounds. Tip-off will commence at 2:30pm on Saturday, March 5.

For more on Emmanuel College athletics, visit goeclions.com.