FRANKLIN SPRINGS, GA – The Emmanuel Men's Basketball team closed out tournament play at the Christmas in the Springs Classic this afternoon with a regional matchup against Georgia College. The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead, but the Lions responded shooting 56% from the field in the first half to take a 45-41 lead into the break. After half, the Lions pushed their lead to double digits early and cruised to an 82-71 victory. With the win, the Lions moved to 5-8 on the season.

The Bobcats jumped out to an early 7-1 lead in the first half, but the Lions answered with buckets from Isaac Jones and Rett VandeMark to tie the game at 9-9. The teams traded points and the lead, with the Bobcats going up by as much as five points, but five quick points by Micah Roebuck tied the game at 22-22 with 12:07 to play in the first. With 7:24 to play in the half, the Bobcats took a 7-point lead, 32-25 but three-pointers by Jones and Devin Story along with a few key free throws put the Lions up by 4, 36-32 with 4:49 to play. The Lions closed out the quarter strong to take a 45-40 lead into the break. In the first, the Lions shot 56% from the field and connected on 7-14 from beyond the arc with Devin Story and Isaac Jones each hitting three from three-point range. 

Rett VandeMark helped the Lions pick up where they left off in the second half with a layup to push their lead to 47-41 early. The Bobcats responded to cut the Lions lead to 4, but key plays by Sam Thacker, Jones and VandeMark put the Lions up by double digits, 58-47 with 15:50 to play. A three-pointer by Thacker and a layup by Ezra McKee gave the Lions their biggest lead of the night, 64-49 with 13:58 to play. The Bobcats got within seven points of the lead with 2:35 to play, but the Lions closed out the game strong to earn the 82-71 win, The Lions shot 10-32 from the field in the half, connecting on 13-15 from the free throw line.

Four Lions ended the night in double figures scoring, with Devin Story leading the way with 20 points and 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Isaac Jones added 17 points and 3 rebounds and 2 assists, going 4-9 from three-point range. Sam Thacker and Rett VanDeMark picked up 13 points apiece, with Thacker adding 5 rebounds and 5 assists. 

Next up, the Lions will host USC Aiken on December 31 at 6PM. For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.