Belmont, NC – The Emmanuel Men's Basketball team traveled to Belmont, NC to take on the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in their regular season finale. The Crusaders jumped out to an early lead and kept things close in the first half, with the Lions leading 38-33 at the break. In the second half, the Lions pulled away to push their lead to double digits, earning an 80-67 victory. With the win, the Lions improve to 20-8 on the season, 17-2 in conference play.
The Crusaders came out of the gate strong, taking a 9-0 lead early. The Lions responded well behind key plays by
Kendall Latney,
Tavarus Webb and
John Kenoye to get the Lions within two points of the lead at 13-11. The Crusaders pushed their lead back up to seven with 9:48 to play in the first, but the Lions answered back. With 7:40 remaining in the half,
Jasper Gibson connected from 3-point range to tie things at 20. Gibson connected on his second three-pointer of the night less than a minute later to give the Lions their first lead of the night 23-22. A third straight three from Gibson gave the Lions a 26-25 lead and the Lions closed out the half strong to lead 38-33 at the break. In the half, the Lions shot 52% from the field, connecting on 7-17 from three-point range, with Gibson leading the way with four threes.
The second half saw the Crusaders cut the Lions lead to three early, 40-37 but the Lions responded well. Key shots by Webb and Latney pushed the Lions lead to double digits with 13:46 to play in the game. Gibson's fifth three of the day put the Lions up 59-44 with 11:44 to go. The Lions led by as much as 18 points in the half. The Crusaders went on a run late in the game to cut the Lions lead to 10 with 1:15 to play, but the Lions held on to win by 13, 80-67.
Tavarus Webb led the Lions in all categories with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Kendall Latney had 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists on the night, while
Jasper Gibson added 15 points, going 5-7 from beyond the arc.
Next up, the Lions will compete in the 2025 Conference Carolinas Tournament which will begin next week. The Lions will have a bye until the semifinals which will be held at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford University.
For more information on Emmanuel University athletics, visit goeulions.com.
