Staff Report
EMU sports: www.emu.edu
The high-scoring Runnin Royals took their show on the road Wednesday and tangled with the best defense in the conference, Washington & Lee. Eastern Mennonite, which entered the game as the top offense in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, showed it could play some defense as well, smothering the Generals in an impressive 83-48 win in Lexington.
EMU entered the game averaging a league-best 89.2 points a game, while Washington & Lee was holding their opponents to just 60.8 points. The Royals took a few minutes to solve their host’s impressive defense, as the Generals led 6-3 after a Ben Goetsch layup at 16:34. Over the next six minutes, though, Eastern Mennonite outscored W&L 20-7 to grab a 23-13 lead.
The men held the Generals to just four points over the final 7:44 of the half and led 44-25 at the break.
The second half was much the same as EMU scored the first six points of the final frame and never looked back, controlling Washington & Lee 83-48.
D.J. Hinson (Newport News, Va./Menchville) was dominant offensively as he tied his career high with 34 points. The junior was 12-15 from the floor, including 7-9 from three point range, and added five rebounds. Hinson also scored 34 in a 95-73 win over Wesley on Nov. 22, 2009.
The only other Royal in double figures was Todd Phillips (Waynesboro, Va./Waynesboro) as he scored 15 points. Austin Twine (Dublin, Va./Pulaski County) had eight points and five rebounds. Every healthy Royal played in the game and all but two of the men scored. Luke Holloran (Broadway, Va./Broadway) tied for the team high with five rebounds.
EMU shot 54% in the win, hitting 30 of 56 shots, including 7-16 three pointers. The defense limited Washington & Lee to just 33% shooting (17-52 FGs). The Generals also had 23 turnovers. Zac White led the home team with nine points.
The dominating win pushes the 24th-ranked Runnin Royals to 10-1 overall and 4-0 in the ODAC. The loss was just the third for Washington & Lee, now 8-3 and 1-2 in the league. EMU next hosts Roanoke on Saturday, Jan. 9, at 7:00pm.
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