SALEM, Va. --- Roanoke came back from a 12-point second-half deficit and held on to defeat Emory & Henry, 91-85 in ODAC action Wednesday evening. The Maroons improved to 5-7, 2-1 in the ODAC while the Wasps dropped to 2-11, 0-4 in conference play.

With the first win in 2010, including the sixth-straight over Emory & Henry, Maroons head coach Page Moir is now only four wins shy of becoming the winningest ODAC coach in conference games behind the late Bob Johnson (Emory & Henry) with 230 ODAC victories.

The Maroons were down by the largest margin of the game, 64-52 with 14:44 remaining and cut it down to nine with 11:28 left in the contest. A 14-2 run over the next 5:30, led by Melvin Felix (Caguas, Puerto Rico, Salem)six points during that span, gave the Maroons a 78-75 lead following Kendrick Chittock (Auburn, OH, University School)layup with 5:54 to go. A layup by Parrish Walker (Greensboro, NC, Dudley)with 6:29 to play gave the Roanoke its first lead since the 1:04 in the first half.

After a JD Dyson three-pointer gave Emory & Henry an 83-81 lead with 3:12 left, both Walker and Chittock scored a combined six-straight points to seal the win and break the Maroons' five-game skid.

The Maroons outscored the Wasps, 56-32 in the paint and 18-8 off fast-break points. The men shot 56.9% from the floor tonight, the highest percentage of the season and the best since Jan. 7, 2009 against the Wasps (63.6%). They outrebounded their opponent for the fourth time this season, 43-33.

Felix scored 21 points, including 8-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the line to lead Roanoke in the scoring column for the fifth time this year. The Salem product is currently averaging 17.7 points in ODAC games and nearly 15 per contest at home.

Matt Crizer (Covington, VA, Alleghany)scored 18 points, 14 in the first half along with six rebounds. Walker tossed in 17 makers on 7-of-9 shooting in addition to eight rebounds and a team-best six assists. In four career games against E&H, Walker is now averaging 20.7 points which is against more than any opponent he has faced. Chittock narrowly missed his fourth double-double of the season with nine points and 11 rebounds.

Dyson led Emory & Henry with 22 points, including 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-4 from three-point range. Terrance Grigg added 17 points, 5-of-5 from the line and five rebounds while Josh Cunningham chipped in 15 counters and hit a game-high five three-pointers.

The Wasps opened the contest with a 11-2 lead in the first three minutes before Roanoke woke up and responded with a 16-2 run over the next four minutes to take an 18-13 lead.

A jumper by Walker gave the Maroons a game-high nine-point lead with 3:42 remaining before the Wasps roared back on a 10-0 run to go into the half with a 48-47 lead. It was Emory & Henry's first lead since the 15:18 mark in the first half. The Wasps continued their run, scoring the first 11 points to open the second half and take a 61-49 lead.

The men return to action this Saturday, Jan. 9 as they travel to Harrisonburg to take on ODAC-leader Eastern Mennonite. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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