BUENA VISTA, VA - The Southern Virginia Men's Basketball team opened their season with a hard-fought 73-65 victory over Eastern Mennonite University, marking their fifth consecutive win against the Royals. The Knights managed to break away in the second half to secure the win over EMU.

Eastern Mennonite University initially grabbed the lead with consecutive three-pointers from Aaron Brooks, putting EMU up 8-3. However, the Knights battled back to level the score at 12 apiece and matched each bucket until they started to pull ahead with a six-point advantage, just two and a half minutes before halftime.

A pair of fast-break layups and a three-pointer briefly put their lead in jeopardy, but two crucial free throws by Tyler Kartchner allowed the game to head into halftime with a tie score.

The second half began with Koa Baker making a significant impact, scoring six points in just two and a half minutes to establish a six-point lead. A three-pointer by Baker further extended their lead, and he followed it up with a layup, pushing the advantage to nine with 10 minutes remaining.

Although the Royals managed to cut the lead to just five with five minutes left, Baker once again took control of the game, scoring five consecutive points to maintain a double-digit lead.

In the closing moments of the game, Baker, Tyler Kartchner, and DJ Green sank crucial free throws to seal the victory at 73-65.

The Knights will have a quick turnaround as they stay home to face their next ODAC opponent, Averett University, in their fifth meeting between the two programs.

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