SPARTANBURG, SC - The #2 seed Emmanuel men's basketball team faced #4 seed Belmont Abbey in the Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Championship on Sunday. The Lions never led by less than double digits in the second half en route to an emphatic 17 point victory, 77-60.
The first five minutes were tightly contested, resulting in an 8-7 lead for The Abbey. A Kendall Latney jumper then gave the Lions a lead they would never relinquish. KJ Jones II, Jasper Gibson, and Chris Dees took turns knocking down three pointers as a dominant Emmanuel run ensued. Dees would go on to make two more threes, while Jeremiah Francis added to the shooting display. By the time the clock dipped under seven minutes it had been a 25-4 run in favor of Emmanuel. With the score 33-14, it was beginning to look like a total blowout. But, the defending champs weren't going down without a fight. The Crusaders proceeded to score a dozen unanswered points, bringing them back within seven. Emmanuel mustered a 7-2 run to close out the half, thanks to a bucket from Tavarus Webb, a three pointer from Dees (his fourth), and a pair of free throws from Jones. At the break the Lions led by 12 points, 40-28.
Emmanuel controlled the pace in the second half. After the 19 minute mark the Crusaders would never get closer than a 15 point deficit. The Lions not only shot 52% in the second half, but also held the Crusaders to only 32 points. Clean defense only allowed The Abbey to shoot seven free throws, of which they could only convert two. Latney and Webb were a menace in the paint, combining for 17 of Emmanuel's 27 rebounds. On the other end of the court Jones continued to play how one would expect the nation's leading scorer to play; going 9-14 from the field and 3-6 from three point territory to finish with 29 points. He also was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe, his eighth game this year where he's been perfect from the line with more than 5 attempts.
Along with the 29 points, Jones would finish with 4 assists (to only 1 turnover), 3 rebounds, and a steal. Latney and Dees both finished with a dozen points, the former adding 7 rebounds. Webb recorded 10 rebounds and 8 points.
Conference Carolinas Player of the Year KJ Jones II was named the tournament MVP, while Freshman of the Year Tavarus Webb and Kendall Latney both made the All-Tournament team.
In Emmanuel's fifth season with post-season eligibility men's basketball now has two conference titles, both of which came against Belmont Abbey (2019 and 2023). The Lions have never finished a season outside the Conference Carolinas tournament semifinals over the five years.
Additionally, the Lions will now advance to the NCAA DII Men's Basketball Tournament for the third time. Along with 2019 they also received an at-large bid in 2021. In 2019 Emmanuel fell to Queens in the first round. In 2021 the Lions defeated Queens in the first round and Belmont Abbey in the second before falling to LMU in the Sweet Sixteen.
The 2023 NCAA tournament selection show will take place Sunday, March 5th at 11:00pm Eastern. Tune in here. Following the selection show the bracket can be found here.
For more on Emmanuel College athletics, visit goeclions.com.
