FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. -- Freshman Darius Kane tallied 14 points, while classmate DJ Holloway also hit double figures with 10 points, but Emmanuel came out with a 78-61 victory over Belmont Abbey in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action Saturday afternoon.

With the result, the Crusaders fall to 11-16 overall and 9-8 in league play. Emmanuel improves to 23-5, 15-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Jaylon Simpson fell just short of double figures with nine points.
• Mason Taylor, DJ Holloway and Simpson shared top rebounding honors with four each. Emmanuel held a 38-22 advantage overall on the boards. 
• Taylor also dished out a team-high four assists to go along with his eight points.
• Belmont Abbey shot just 39.1 percent (25 of 64) from the field, including 29.0 percent (9 of 31) in the opening. The Lions were not much better in the opening period (39.4 percent/13 of 33), but connected at a 62.1 percent clip (18 of 29) after intermission.
• The Crusaders scored the opening basket but the Lions hit a three and never trailed again. An 8-0 run midway through the opening period, turned a 19-14 Emmanuel lead into 27-14 by the 7:09 mark.

UP NEXT

• The regular season concludes on Wednesday with a trip to Francis Marion.
• The contest begins at 7:30, making it the final game of the leagues' 126-game slate.