The LC Men's Basketball Team fell on Wednesday night to Emory University, 86-68. The loss sets the Panthers at 5-3 and ends their three-game winning streak.
Facing a nationally ranked team in Emory, 21st in Division III, LC started slow. Cold shooting and ineffective defense put the Panthers in a big hole early. LaGrange clawed back and turned a double-digit deficit into only six by halftime.
The Panthers kept fighting and through clutch buckets by Brodie Scott and Zac Hill, LC had the Eagle lead down to just two with 10 minutes to go. From then, Emory controlled the game, with efficient offense and LaGrange missed shots allowing the lead to extend back out to 18, where Emory held to secure the win.
Head Coach Kendall Wallace looked for himself and the Panthers to improve after the loss. "Sometimes I hesitate to substitute my bench, even though they did a great job in the first half," he said. "For us, we are deficient in rebounding. We have got to get more rebounds and do a better job in figuring out a way to collect missed shots."
Zac Hill led LC with 18 points, going 8 of 14 from the field. The other starter of note was Kyle Smith, who secured a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, along with a team-high five assists.
While the rest of LC's starters struggled, going a combined 4 of 27 from the field, the Panthers had big bench presence that helped push them as close as two to Emory's lead. Isaiah Pettigrew had two key blocks to help get energy in the Mariotti Gym. Scott led the bench in scoring with nine points, three rebounds and three steals.
LC will take a nine-day break before hosting Mississippi University for Women on Dec. 16 and then head to Naples, Florida, for Christmas Tournament Basketball.
Story by Eli Rogers
