Posted: Feb 14, 2009
HARRISONBURG, Va. --- Curtis Peery led all scorers with 24 points as Roanoke pulled away from Eastern Mennonite, 84-63 at Yoder Arena this evening. The Maroons, who won for the first time in February, improved to 17-6 overall and 9-5 in the ODAC. The Royals dropped to 14-9, 8-6 in the conference.
In what was a big ODAC contest between the two teams, Peery enjoyed his 10th 20-point game of the season. He shot 9-of-13 from the floor including 6-of-6 from the line and seven rebounds. His 1,301 career points puts him five shy of passing John Mongero '67 for 16th on the all-time scoring list at Roanoke. He is currently sixth all-time since the NCAA Div. III-era (1979-pres.). His 293 career free-throws made are now 10th all-time at Roanoke.
With the win, Roanoke is now tied with Bridgewater for third in the latest ODAC Standings while Eastern Mennonite dropped down to fifth. The Maroons are now 57-13 against EMU and have won seven of the last nine meetings in addition to sweeping the season series.
Roanoke dominated the rebounding battle, 53-31 which was the most rebounds since PSU-Abington on Jan. 2 and the second-longest rebounding margin of the season (Johnson & Wales +23). The 21-point victory was the second-highest of the season besides a 51-point demolishing of PSU-Abington, 106-55 in the Domino's New Year's Classic.
The men were able to overcome their 24 turnovers by outscoring them, 34-24 in the paint, 12-6 on second chance points and 32-17 off the bench, which helped them pull away late. Will Sheppard had a career night with 14 points and seven rebounds. He was 4-of-6 from the floor and hit all six of his free throw attempts - both categories also career-highs.
After a slow first half which saw Roanoke build a 37-30 lead at intermission, EMU scored 14 of the 21 points to start the second half and cut the Maroon lead to one, 44-43 with 16:02 remaining.
But a 21-4 run over the next five and a half minutes sealed the win for the Maroons as Peery's layup gave his team a 65-47 advantage with 10:32 to go. Both Peery and Sheppard combined for 10 points during that span.
The Maroons pulled away in the second half thanks to shooting nearly 60-percent (58.6%) from the field while holding the Royals to a mere 25% on their senior night. They also shot 84% from the charity stripe, the third-highest of the season and the best since Lynchburg on Dec. 6.
In addition to Peery and Sheppard's performances, Parrish Walker finished with 13 points for his seventh-straight game in double-figures and 10th of the last 11 games.
EMU was led by George Johnson with 21 points, including 9-of-10 from the line and four assists. Todd Phillips had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in addition to four blocked shots and three steals.
The men travel to Lexington, Va. to battle against ODAC-rival Washington & Lee on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Roanoke holds a 73-37 series advantage since 1912, but seven of the last nine meetings have been decided by 10 points or less. The Maroons will look to avenge a 68-66 loss back on Jan. 17 at the Bast Center dealt by the Generals. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
You can access top stories, scores, updated stats and more. Also make sure to sign up for e-scores for the latest Roanoke athletic updates sent right to you phone. You can sign-up on the school's athletic home page on the left side. Just simply click on the e-scores icon. Be sure to view all home games live on our live feed via internet. Just click on live feeds on the left side and then click on the audio link for those who are outside the area. To keep up to date with Maroon athletics from your mobile phone or PDA, please visit m.roanoke.edu/sports.
