The Emory Oxford Eagles basketball team gave the ninth ranked team in the nation a scare but came up short 105-97.
After beginning the game on a strong run, the Eagles led the Flyers by as many as 10 points in the first half, and later came roaring back from a 15-point deficit in the second to draw even at 88-88 with 2:49 remaining in the game. Oxford was 9-for-20 from behind the arc in the second half to make things uncomfortable for the Flyers.
Trailing at halftime 48-41, Sandhills jumped out to their largest lead at 60-45 to start the 2nd half. That's when Eagle guard Ryan Kwong made the first of his team's nine second-half threes to ignite a 15-1 burst that reduced the margin to 61-60. The threes kept falling for the visitors and with less than three minutes remaining a pair of free throws by Tate Coston tied the game at 88-88.
"We played a very good team tonight and I am proud of how hard our team played tonight. It is early in the season and we gained some valuable experience," commented head coach Roderick Stubbs.
Ryan Kwong led the Eagles with 20 points and 4 assists, including 4 threes. Sean Wickham poured in 17 points along with 6 rebounds.
Oxford's next game is Tuesday, November 7th versus the Piedmont College JV at home in the Williams Gym. Game time is set for 7:30pm.