ATLANTA, Ga. - Men's Basketball competed in the second round of the NCAA Tournament where they came up just short after a historic year against Emory University by a score of 84-68.
Despite an inconsistent 2-3 start to the year for Berry, the Vikings found their footing and peaked at the perfect time to set up their historic postseason run. Berry ripped off a 9-game winning streak that set them up for another Southern Athletic Association Regular Season Championship that was poetically capped off with an SAA Tournament Championship that punched their ticket to the national stage.
Berry did not stop there, as they made history as the first Viking ball club to win an NCAA Tournament game in school history and the first SAA program to win an NCAA Tournament game since 2016. In just his first season at the helm, Head Coach Matthew Richter was masterful, leading his team to a 20-9 overall record and a 10-2 conference record.
The Vikings' unquestioned leader this season was senior Braxton Benham. Benham earned countless accolades, including SAA Athlete of the Year, SAA Tournament MVP, and First Team All-SAA. On top of those accomplishments, Benham made school history by becoming Berry's All-Time Leading scorer. The Cartersville, Georgia, native made a name for himself and his team this year that will forever live in Berry Viking history.
Berry was paced by Benham tonight as he poured in 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Joining him as key performers were Isaac Martin and Drew Winegarden, who poured in 15 and 14 points respectively on a combined nine made three-pointers.
The Vikings began the game about as perfectly as one could imagine with a 5-0 run to begin the game fueled by an Isaac Martin three-pointer and a pull up jumper from Benham.
Emory quickly responded with a 6-0 run to take an early 6-5 lead with 15:45 to play in the first half. The following minutes were paced by both teams knocking down foul shots, keeping the score tight in the early going.
A few plays later, Drew Winegarden laced a three-pointer off of a Nile King assist that gave Berry a 17-15 lead with 9:46 to play in the first half.
Emory seized control with a 10-1 run midway through the first half that granted the Eagles a 30-21 lead with just under five minutes left in the half. The half would close with the Eagles having momentum heading into the break with a 40-25 lead at the halftime break.
After giving up two three-pointers to begin the second half, the Vikings would respond on a perfectly executed inbound play, as Winegarden blasted home a three-pointer to cut the Emory lead to 18, 28-46.
A few plays later, Winegarden drove baseline and found a cutting Godwin who finished a nifty layup to bring the Vikings within 16 points with just over 16 minutes to play.
After a couple of idle moments from both teams, Benham exploded to the rim and finished through contact for an and-one that took another chunk out of the Emory advantage, 48-37.
The Eagles swiftly responded with an 11-3 run that catapulted them back to a 19-point advantage at the 11-minute mark.
Just a few minutes later, the Vikings showed they would not go away, as Benham found a red-hot Winegarden open in the corner for a three-pointer that pierced the net and cut the Emory lead to 15 points with 8:34 to play. On the next Berry possession, some fancy footwork and a finish off the glass from Benham made the score 50-63 with 7:53 to play.
A 12-3 run would put the game out of reach down the stretch as Emory took a 75-53 lead with just over four minutes to play.
Though the spirit of the Vikings never wavered in the final minutes, the book would be closed on what was a storybook chapter for Berry in their 2024-2025 campaign as they fell to the Eagles by a final score of 84-68.
