EMCC Lions post pair of decisive wins in hoops season debut at Raider Classic in Florida

NICEVILLE, Fla. – Outscoring their opposition, 169-112, over two games, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College posted decisive wins over Baton Rouge Community College (79-46) and Southern Union State Community College (90-66) to successfully tip off the basketball season this past weekend at the season-opening Raider Classic hosted by Northwest Florida State College.

While collectively shooting 48 percent from the field and averaging nearly a 30-point scoring margin over BRCC and SUSCC, the Lions trailed for only six total minutes during their 80 minutes of season-opening action in Florida.

On Friday against Baton Rouge, EMCC never trailed the Bears and led by as many as 38 points midway through the second half. The Lions shot 51 percent (30-59 FGs) from the field, including 9-of-22 (41%) from beyond the arc, and 77 percent (10-13 FTs) from the line in their 33-point victory over BRCC.

With all 12 players who saw action in the game having scored, EMCC was led by reigning all-conference swingman DeAndre Lewis and freshman guard Jordan Alexander with 14 points apiece against Baton Rouge. Sophomore Josh Brown as well as the former Columbus High School tandem of Jayden Tatum and Wilt Bush each added eight points in Friday's victory.

The following afternoon against Southern Union State, the Lions were led by redshirt freshman Ace McKinnie, who came off the bench to score a team-high 26 points and collect 15 rebounds, including six offensive boards, in his season debut to lead a quartet of double-figure EMCC scorers in the 24-point win over the Bison. The 6-foot-10, 185-pound forward/center hit the first dozen shots he took during his nearly perfect 12-of-13 shooting effort from the field. A transfer from South Plains College in Texas, McKinnie was the 2023-24 Florida Association of Basketball Coaches (FABC) Class 1A Player of the Year at Chipley High School.

Also scoring in double digits for the Lions in Saturday's win were Alexander with 16 points along with transfer Diovion Famakinde and Tatum with 14 and 13 points, respectively.

With nine newcomers on their 14-player roster, head coach Billy Begley's 2-0 EMCC Lions will play in their second of four in-season tournaments this calendar year by participating in this week's Northeast Mississippi-hosted Bonner Arnold Classic in Booneville. They will first take on South Georgia Tech at 5 p.m. on Thursday (Nov. 6) before meeting Enterprise State the following day at 2 p.m. The new season's first home men's hoops action for East Mississippi will be next week's Monday (Nov. 10) non-conference matchup versus Holmes and a Thursday (Nov. 13) meeting against Wallace Selma at newly renovated Keyes T. Currie Coliseum on the Scooba campus.