Jackson, Tennessee-On Thursday evening, Edward Waters was able to open 2024 in the same fashion as they closed 2023, with victory. The Purple & Orange earned a key 75-71 SIAC road victory over Lane College in a cross-divisional matchup at JF Lane Gymnasium.

The Tigers (5-7, 4-2 SIAC) came out of the blocks slowly in the first half, trailing by as many as 12 points near the midway point. Edward Waters was able to show major resolve, slowly chipping away at the deficit to trail by just two points at 34-32 at the half.

The second half of the contest saw Edward Waters nudge their way out front in the early portion of it, taking a 37-36 lead just two minutes in. The two squads would trade shots and opportunities with the lead, before EWU would begin to assert themselves toward the middle of the half. With the contest tied at 46-46 with 14:31 remaining, EWU went on a 7-0 run over the next 1:29 to take a 53-46 lead. Lane (3-5, 3-3 SIAC) would not go quietly as they fired back with a run of their own to take back the lead at 60-58 with 8:31 left in the contest. A 12-2 Edward Waters run from there gave the visitors a 70-62 lead with 5:17 left, an advantage that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. The Dragons tried to mount a late comeback, but to no avail as Edward Waters earned their second straight victory and their and their first true road win of the year.

Edward Waters outshot Lane 49% to 39% including a 33% to 23% edge from the bonus sphere. The boards were also owned by the Purple & Orange with a 41-36 rebounding advantage, while EWU also owned a 46-36 edge i points in the paint. The EWU bench was also a key contributor to the squads efforts, outscoring Lane's reserves 39-23.

Freshman reserve guard Samuel Vessat led EWU with 15 points off the bench to go along with six boards, while junior reserve guard D'Shun Edwards also chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds. R. J. Noord, Amari Floyd, and Trevino Glover all had 10 points apiece to contribute to the victory.

Edward Waters continues their road trip on Saturday, January 6th with another SIAC cross-divisional contest against LeMoyne-Owen at 6:00PM EST in Memphis.

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