Harrisonburg, Va. -- Lynchburg College's men's basketball team couldn't hang on to a narrow late lead, dropping an 81-80 decision at Eastern Mennonite on Saturday afternoon.

The Royals' Maleke Jones sank the game-winning layup with 2 seconds remaining for the last of his game-high 26 points in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference contest.

Junior wing Austin Wrighten (Woodbridge, Va.) led Lynchburg with a 15-point, nine-rebound effort, junior forward Connor Schroeder (Blacksburg, Va.) added 15 points and seven boards, and freshman forward T.C. Thacker (Madison Heights, Va.) scored a career-best 14 points on a 5-for-6 shooting effort.

Lynchburg also saw senior forward Logan Seacrist (Fredericksburg, Va.) and junior guard Devante' Young (Charlotte, N.C.) into double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

THE RUNDOWN

Final: Eastern Mennonite 81, Lynchburg 80

Records: Eastern Mennonite (6-8, 1-5 ODAC), Lynchburg (8-7, 2-4 ODAC)

Venue: Yoder Arena, Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Va.

HOW IT HAPPENED

- EMU leapt out to an early lead and had the advantage by as many as 13 points early in the first half, but Lynchburg clawed back into the contest. The Hornets trailed 50-42 at halftime, keeping it close with 11 first-half points from Schroeder.

- Lynchburg tied the game with 8:30 to play on a Thacker free throw and took its first lead on the next possession thanks to a 3-pointer from Seacrist.

- LC took an 80-76 lead on Young's jumper with 1:40 to play, but the Royals finished with the final five points to snatch the victory.

LOOKING AHEAD

Lynchburg will remain on the road Wednesday with a trip to Southwest Virginia to take on conference-leading Emory & Henry (14-1, 6-0 ODAC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

--LC--