Interesting game against Roanoke College yesterday as they won the first half by 20 and EMU won the second half by 19. Reed did not play. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A huge second half rally couldn't erase the damage done in the first half, as EMU's basketball men lost 81-80 at Roanoke Saturday afternoon. The Runnin Royals out-scored their hosts 48-29 in the second, and had a chance to win it with the final possession, but they fall to 4-2 with the loss. Four of EMU's six games this year have been decided by two points or less, including three holding a margin of one point. The largest margin in any game has been six points from the season-opening 80-74 win over Ferrum. RaShawn Latimer (Warrenton, Va./Kettle Run) opened the scoring with a three pointer, and the men held a small edge over the first few minutes. But a 12-0 run by Roanoke vaulted them to a 16-7 lead which they never relinquished. The Maroons led 52-32 at halftime, and scored the first four of second for their biggest lead at 56-32. EMU started marching back from there, reversing all the turnover, shooting and defensive problems from the first half. Ryan Yates (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) hit a layup with 7:34 to go, getting the men back within single digits at 66-58. An offensive putback from Yates made it single possession game at 81-78 with 1:03 to go. After an RC miss, Marcel Crump (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) hit a pair of free throws with 50 seconds left to get the men within 81-80. A defensive stand gave the Royals the ball back with the shot clock off, but Yates missed a three pointer with five seconds left. After a quick foul, the Maroons missed the front end of a one-and-one, but David Falk's (Madison, Va./Madison County) full court shot at the buzzer bounced off the backboard and the rim as the comeback fell short. Despite the massive second-half effort, EMU was out-shot 44% to 41% in the game. They did have a slight 44-41 rebounding edge. Yates finished with a game high 22 points along with six rebounds. Crump had 15 points and seven boards. Falk notched his third double double of the season with 13 rebounds, 10 points and four blocked shots. Andrew Daniels led a balanced Roanoke attack with 15 points and four assists. Cameron Smith had 13 and 11 rebounds. The Royals return to action next Friday at the Don Glick Classic hosted by Bridgewater College. EMU takes on Milligan, a 10-2 NAIA program from Tennessee, Friday at 6:00pm. Saturday the men get Greensboro College at 2:00pm. Fans can get free admission to either of the games by donating a canned food item to the local food pantry at the game.