In a proverbial nail-biter, “With time running down, (Tedrick) Hudson spun, fought off a defender and threw up what some might consider a prayer. The ball found its way through the net just as the buzzer sounded.” Tedrick’s 3-pointer lifted the Emmanuel College Lions to a 65-62 upset over the SSAC 3^rd seed Eagles from Faulkner University in the semi-final round of the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) tournament.

The EC Lions, seventh-seeded in the SSAC, have knocked-off two of the top three teams in 3 days; an 81-71 victory over SSAC 2^nd seed, and Nationally ranked,  Auburn University – Montgomery on Wednesday, and today’s upset of the Eagles. This victory earned the EC Lions a shot at the SSAC title, facing the winner of the Lee University Flames vs. Shorter College Hawks semi-final game, on Saturday.

“Hudson, the SSAC Freshman of the Year, hit a shot in the paint to knot the game at 62 with 13 seconds left in the game. With seven seconds remaining, (Jon) Uriarte was fouled and stepped to the line to shoot a double bonus. Neither shot would fall, setting up the last-second heroics by Hudson.”

Micah Hayes led the EC scoring attack with 15 points. Micah also handed out 5 assists, and collected 3 steals. Ray Anthony Raines, II, and Hudson netted 13 points each. Ray collected 8 rebounds, and blocked 3 shots while collecting 3 steals. Jeremy Tate netted 12 points. The Lions record improved to 16-16 overall and 6-12 in the SSAC.

Jon Uriarte led the Eagles attack with 17 points, and 7 boards while blocking 2 Lion shots. Durell Richardson netted 8 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals. Jonathan Walker and Reggie Dupree netted 6 points each. The Eagles overall record dropped to 17-15, and 12-6 in the SSAC.