EMORY, VA (January 10, 2008)—For a team that has been on the brink of several big wins, Hampden-Sydney may have taken a huge first step in its quest to get over the hump.
The Tigers withstood several strong charges from a game Emory and Henry College squad to escape the King Center in Emory, Virginia with a 96-86 victory over the Wasps, Dee Vick's first Old Dominion Athletic Conference victory as a head coach.
It was the fourth straight win for Hampden-Sydney in the series, and helped the Tigers avoid the program's first four-game losing skid since the 1992-93 season, when Vick was a third-year shooting guard for the Tiger squad.
Hampden-Sydney (6-7, 1-3 ODAC) placed five players in double figures, led by junior Turner King (Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Catholic) and freshman Ben Jessee (Midlothian, VA/Cosby) who tallied 20 points apiece. King's effort was supplemented by six rebounds and two steals. Jessee's career-high output, his third such performance in his last four games, came in addition to four assists.
Shane Payne (Weston, FL/Sagemont) scored 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 night from the floor while tying a career-high with five assists. His game-high nine rebounds bolstered a 44-30 Tiger advantage on the boards.
Emory and Henry (7-7, 1-4 ODAC), who came into the game averaging a league-high 89.3 points-per-game, was held to 11.1 percent shooting from beyond-the-arc in the first half, as Hampden-Sydney shot a blistering 64.3 percent en route to a 45-32 halftime lead.
The Tigers' depth caused problems for the Wasps all evening, as all 16 healthy bodies made an appearance during the course of the contest, with most making valuable contributions along the way.
Jyri Laakso (Oulu, Finland/Makelinrinne) scored seven first half points, which included a cold-blooded three-pointer during a pivotal Hampden-Sydney scoring run.
Larry Henshaw (Petersburg, VA/Prince George) tallied six points on 2-of-4 shooting from the floor, and in the first half, made one of the best plays of the day with a gorgeous dish to Lane Medlin (West Point, VA/Fork Union) between two Emory and Henry defenders.
Hakeem Croom (Harlem, NY/Fishburne Military) turned in crucial minutes in the opening half as well, scoring three points while knocking down his lone shot attempt of the game.
The contributions from the bench in the early going allowed the Tiger regulars to be fresh when the Wasps made their patented pushes in the second half.
Emory and Henry turned up the defensive pressure and began attacking the rim relentlessly in the second frame. The Wasps' aggressiveness resulted in 21 second half free throw attempts, helping trim a 16-point deficit to as little as two with about 7:00 to play in the game. Emory and Henry's Robert Hudson nailed four of his five triples in the second half to aid the Wasps cause.
But Hampden-Sydney responded with poise and execution in the latter stages and never relinquished the lead, pushing its advantage back to double digits behind big plays from King and Jessee and clutch foul shooting from Medlin, who canned 4-of-4 tries from the stripe in the final minute.
Medlin and Jonathan Mudd (Miami, FL/American) were the other two Tigers to score in double figures with 10 points each.
Emory and Henry was paced by Hudson's 18 points. Kyle Huckins added 15 points and five rebounds, Jarell Christian and J.D. Dyson tallied 13 points apiece and Terrance Grigg chipped in with 11 points.
Wasps' sharp-shooter Camillo Weinz was held to just two points on 0-6 shooting from the field.
ODAC play continues next week for Hampden-Sydney as it returns home on Wednesday, January 14 to take on Virginia Wesleyan College at 7 pm.
