VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (EMU Athletics) – The Royals men’s basketball team made a mid-week trip to the beach on Wednesday, opening ODAC play against #13 Virginia Wesleyan.

With just over a minute left, it looked like the Royals were poised for an upset, but the Marlins ended the final 49 seconds of the game on a 9-4 run, picking up a 70-65 win.

Records: EMU 2-5, 0-1 ODAC | Virginia Wesleyan 5-1, 1-0 ODAC

Highlights

First Half
The Marlins jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first three and a half minutes, before a layup from BJ Nkrumah put EMU on the board. VWU would extend their lead to eight, but EMU answered with a three from Isaiah Carr and a layup from Jazen Walker, to pull within three. Virginia Wesleyan scored the next five points, but the Royals rallied with a 10-0 tilt, that spanned 2:35, picking up three points each from Edixon Blanco and Carr, to take a 17-15 lead. However, the Marlins would get hot down the stretch, shooting 5-9 from the field, including 3-5 from three, for a 13-4 run and a 28-21 halftime advantage.

Second Half
A 5-0 Wesleyan run pushed their lead to start the second, before Aaron Brooks’ layup at 16:13 gave EMU their first points of the frame. The Marlins would continue to hold between a nine and point lead, with their latest 14-point advantage coming after a jumper with 4:43 left in the game. But EMU wasn’t ready to throw in the towel, as they went on a furious scoring run over the next 3:30. During that time, EMU outscored VWU 16-2, including a 14-0 run that was capitalized by a three from Nkrumah to tie things at 59. After a Brooks layup tied things again, this time at 61 with 1:11 left in the game, the Marlins pulled away with a 5-0 run and sealed the win, hitting seven of nine free throws in the final 48 seconds.

Statistical Leaders
Points: Brooks (19), Carr (18), Nkrumah (10)
Rebounds: Zach Bailey (6)
Assists: Brooks (7)
Steals: Brooks (3)

What’s Next
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Royals, as they return home on Saturday for an ODAC matchup against #8 Hampden-Sydney. Tipoff against the Tigers is set for 2:00 pm.

— EMU Athletics —