Emmanuel Claims 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship
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SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The second-seeded Lions of Emmanuel won their 16th straight game to claim the program’s second Conference Carolinas tournament championship as they defeated fourth-seeded Belmont Abbey 77-60 in the 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship game on Sunday evening inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford in Spartanburg.
The Lions earned Conference Carolinas’ automatic bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and will be making their third regional appearance.
It was a back-and-forth affair early on with one tie and four lead changes in the opening 4:30 before the Lions used a 24-6 run to take a 19-point, 33-14 lead. The Crusaders responded with a 12-0 run to cut the margin to seven, 35-26. A Tavarus Webb jumper for Emmanuel ended the run and the Lions closed the half on a 7-2 run for the 40-28 lead. In the final 20 minutes, the Lions never led by less than 11 points en route to the 77-60 win.
The tournament Most Outstanding Player, KJ Jones II, scored a game-high 29 points while Kendall Latney, another all-tournament selection, scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Webb, another all-tournament honoree, scored eight points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Mason Taylor, an all-tournament selection for the Crusaders, scored a team-high 19 points and Charles Solomon, also an all-tournament honoree, scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the loss.
After the game Conference Carolinas recognized all seven members of the all-tournament team which are listed below.
Fans can rewatch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com.
Emmanuel will find out their regional opponent and location during the NCAA selection show on NCAA.com on Sunday, March 5 at 11 p.m.
2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team
KJ Jones II, Emmanuel - Most Outstanding Player
Tavarus Webb, Emmanuel
Kendall Latney, Emmanuel
Charles Solomon, Belmont Abbey
Mason Taylor, Belmont Abbey
K.J. Walker, UNC Pembroke
Marcus Boykin, Barton
2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Men’s Basketball Championship
First Round – Sunday, February 26
#7 Francis Marion def. #10 King, 100-80, at Converse (Box Score)
#8 Mount Olive def. #9 Lees-McRae, 95-87, at Chowan (Box Score)
Second Round – Monday, February 27
#6 Converse def. #7 Francis Marion, 81-78 (Box Score)
#8 Mount Olive def. #5 Chowan, 97-90 (Box Score)
Quarterfinals – Friday, March 3 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#4 Belmont Abbey def. #8 Mount Olive, 89-79 (Box Score)
#3 Barton def. #6 Converse, 80-79 (Box Score)
Semifinals – Saturday, March 4 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#4 Belmont Abbey def. #1 UNC Pembroke, 77-67 (Box Score)
#2 Emmanuel def. #3 Barton, 86-69 (Box Score)
Final – Sunday, March 5 (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium - Spartanburg, S.C.)
#2 Emmanuel def. #4 Belmont Abbey, 77-60 (Box Score)