EMCC Lions earn hoops split during season-opening Kiwanis Classic in the Hoosier State

VINCENNES, Ind. – The Lions of East Mississippi Community College earned a season-opening men's basketball split at the Kiwanis Classic this past weekend in Indiana by bouncing back with Saturday's quality 79-75 win over Olney Central College after dropping a hard-fought 80-73 overtime decision to preseason 18^th-ranked and tournament host Vincennes University.

On the heels of Friday night's valiant performance versus the home-standing Trailblazers, EMCC rebounded from a first-half deficit against Olney Central on Saturday to break even for the weekend. With the exception of three ties, EMCC trailed the Blue Knights for the majority of the opening half. DeAndre Lewis' three free throws and a basket by Yamari Allette over the final two minutes of the half gave the Lions a slim 41-40 halftime lead.

During the final six minutes of a second half that featured nine ties and eight lead changes, EMCC claimed a short-lived 71-70 lead at the 5:44 mark on a Jermaurhiyun Anderson basket before Julian Bunton's three-pointer temporarily put OCC back on top.

The Lions reclaimed the advantage for good with a run of six straight points. Israel Griffin's put-back basket was followed by another Lewis free throw and his subsequent timely trey to give EMCC a 77-73 lead with 2:20 left in the game. Anderson sealed the victory with a pair of charity tosses with six seconds remaining.

Lewis, a 2023-24 Jackson Clarion-Ledger Preseason Dandy Dozen selection out of reigning MHSAA Class 5A state champion Canton High School, topped his EMCC debut effort of 21 points against Vincennes with 26 points versus Olney Central. His game-high scoring total in the OCC contest included 17-of-21 free throws. Also in double figures for the Lions in the win were Allette and Anderson with 19 and 11 points, respectively.

In Friday's season debut, EMCC scored the game's first seven points, while the host VU Trailblazers answered with seven straight points of their own. The two teams then traded runs later in the opening half to set the tone for the remainder of the contest. A 13-2 spurt gave Vincennes a 28-18 lead before the Lions responded with 12 unanswered points that helped give the visitors a 37-33 halftime advantage.

EMCC capped a 16-7 run coming out of intermission to build the game's largest lead (53-40) on Lewis' three-pointer five minutes into the second half. The Trailblazers chipped away at their 13-point deficit to knot the score (61-61) with 3:35 left in regulation. After the Lions scored the next five points, Vincennes closed out regulation with a three-point play by 2023-24 NJCAA All-American Lebron Thomas and a basket by Bryan Akanmu to send the game into overtime.

Following three lead changes and a pair of ties to begin the extra session, VU's Christian Andrews drilled a three-pointer with 1:20 left and Thomas sealed the victory for the Trailblazers with four made free throws down the stretch.

Lewis led EMCC with 21 points in his collegiate debut, while Allette and Anderson added 17 and 14 points, respectively.

Coach Billy Begley's 1-1 EMCC Lions will continue regular-season tournament action this weekend (Nov. 8-9) by taking on Reid State Technical College and Wallace-Selma on Friday and Saturday, respectively, in the Northeast Mississippi-hosted Bonner Arnold Classic in Booneville.