Maleke Jones shoots during the win over Gaulladet. (Photo by Scott Eyre)

Royals win two in season opener tourney

Eastern Mennonite won both of their games at the EMU Tip-Off Invitational to improve to 2-1 on the young season.  Junior Maleke Jones (Charles Town, W.V./Washington) tied an EMU record with eight three-pointers as the Runnin Royals rolled to a 99-75 win over Gallaudet Saturday afternoon in Yoder Arena and to an 84-75 win over Methodist on Saturday.

Jones was named the most valuable player of the invitational, where he averaged 21.5 points and 3.0 steals. The guard drilled 8-of-13 attempts from long range against Gallaudet, tying DJ Hinson‘s program record for threes in game. Hinson hit eight against Guilford in an Elite Eight game in the NCAA Tournament in 2010.

Khalil Davis (Harrisonburg, Va./Spotswood) joined Jones on the EMU Tip-Off Invitational All-Tournament Team. He set career highs with 21 points and four steals in Friday’s 84-75 win over Methodist, before notching a career best six assists and three more steals against Gallaudet.

Also on the all-tournament team were Joshua McGriff and Andy Cruz from Gallaudet, Davion Ayabarreno from Methodist, and Bridgewater’s Bryce Boggs.

Sunday: Gallaudet

Jones led the charge early against the Bison, scoring EMU’s first 14 points including four longballs. The Royals led by as many as 12 until Gallaudet rallied to within 39-37 with 3:19 left in the first half. But back-to-back threes from Jones and Travis Clower (Romney, W.V./Hampshire) fueled a 12-2 tear to end the half, as the men took a 51-39 margin into the break.

The 6-8, 250-pound McGriff powered GU’s comeback attempt in the second, but Eastern Mennonite kept the edge with more outside shooting. Jones hit his eighth trey to tie Hinson’s mark with 14:43 left, just before McGriff answered with a milestone of his own, throwing down a dunk on the next possession to give him 1,000 points for his career. He finished with 30 points on 14-19 shooting.

But the Royals were too much for Gallaudet, as the men never let the lead get back under single digits down the stretch, eventually pulling away for the comfortable final margin.

Led by Jones, EMU was 16-31 from outside for 51.6%, while the Bison were a barren 0-11. The men also had 11 steals in creating a +16 turnover margin at 27-11.

Jones finished with a team high 28 points, shooting 60% from the floor. This was the first time in his career that he scored more than 19 points. RaShawn Latimer (Warrenton, Va./Kettle Run) was a perfect 3-for-3 from outside and tallied 13 counters and five rebounds. Isaiah Harris-Winn (Frederick, Md./St. Maria Goretti) put in 12 points while Sammy Thomas (Owings, Md./Northern) added 11. Clower chipped in eight points and four assists.

McGriff added 15 rebounds for a double double and blocked five shots. Cruz was good for 15 points and 12 boards.

The Runnin Royals now have an extended break over Thanksgiving, returning to the court Nov. 30 in their ODAC opener at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. They won’t play at home again until a Dec. 6 date with Randolph-Macon.

A 24-8 first-half run gave the Runnin Royals a lead they would not relinquish in an 84-75 win over Methodist Friday night in Yoder Arena. The win on day one of the EMU Tip-Off Invitational was the men’s first of the year.

Saturday: Methodist

The Monarchs (0-2) led by as many as five early on and held a 10-7 margin four minutes in. A three pointer from RaShawn Latimer (Warrenton, Va./Kettle Run) knotted the score at 10-10 and ignited a 13-0 run. Xavier McCants (Olney, Md./Sherwood) tipped in a missed shot to cap the streak, as the Royals held MU scoreless for 5:10 and took a 20-10 lead during the stretch.

Maleke Jones (Charles Town, W.V./Washington) converted on a three-point play to push the margin to 31-18, but Methodist scratched their way back to within 37-35. Khalil Davis (Harrisonburg, Va./Spotswood) scored the final four of the half to give the Royals a 41-35 edge at intermission.

Neither team could put together any consistent offense to start the second, as the Monarchs chiseled the lead down to 43-41 at the 14:53 mark. Latimer then scored before Davis drove to the hoop on back-to-back possessions to ignite the home crowd and bump the lead back to 50-41.

Jones hit a triple to end an 8-0 run, pushing the margin all the way back up to 62-47.

The Monarchs again came back to within six points at 76-70, but EMU went 6-for-6 from the free throw line over the final 1:03 to ice the nine-point win.

The men had a slight 42.2% to 41.7% shooting margin from the floor, but they made the difference from outside and the stripe. EMU was a modest 7-for-28 from three, but pinned Methodist to 1-for-18 shooting from long range. The Royals were also 23-28 from the free throw line compared to 14-20 for MU.

Davis drew the late start and responded with a career high 21 points and four steals. Jones teamed in the back court with 15 and five steals. The men had 13 picks as a team.

Sammy Thomas (Owings, Md./Northern) finished with 11 points and seven boards while Latimer scored nine.

Methodist got double doubles from two players. Big man Jackson Whitley had 18 points and 12 rebounds while Davion Ayabarreno added 19 and 10. Rae Hill put in 19 counters.