The men’s basketball team split their weekend slate of University Athletic Association (UAA) games, falling to the Washington University (Mo.) Bears 68-65 on Friday before trouncing the University of Chicago Maroons 82-59 on Sunday. The Eagles are now 15-6 on the season, including a 7-4 mark in UAA play.
Friday’s game was a tough defensive battle that rarely swung too far in favor of either team. After falling behind early, the Eagles scored eight unanswered points to take a 12-6 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the half.
A three-pointer from senior guard Alex Greven pushed the lead to nine, but the Bears slowly chipped away until an 8-0 run of their own in the final two minutes of the half made it a 31-30 Emory advantage at the break.
Junior guard McPherson Moore continued his recent hot play in the first half, leading the Eagles with eight points and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Michael Florin added four assists.
The Bears continued their run in the second half, notching six unanswered points to claim a 36-31 lead. Emory battled back with a three-pointer from sophomore forward Alex Foster swinging the score in their favor, 43-41.
The momentum swung yet again as Wash. U reclaimed their lead with another 8-0 run. A layup from junior forward Jake Davis at the 6:42 mark cut the deficit to one point, but the Eagles would get no closer for the rest of the game.
A Greven layup cut the Bears’ lead to just three in the final minute of play, but the Eagles could not capitalize on a steal by Florin and missed two three-pointers as time expired.
Moore led the Eagles with 15 points, while senior forward Michael Friedberg contributed a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Florin finished with eight assists.
The Eagles fared better on Sunday, racing out to a 9-0 lead on hot three-point shooting from Davis, Moore and Greven. A three-point play from Schattie extended the margin to 13 at the 13:32 mark, part of a huge 16-0 Emory run that put the game out of reach at 27-6 just halfway through the first half.
A run by the Maroons cut the Eagles’ lead to ten points at halftime, with the visitors holding a 40-30 advantage.
A Chicago three-pointer made it 40-35 early in the second half, but the Eagles woke up shortly after with threes from Greven and Friedberg extending the lead back to double digits. With 12 minutes left, Moore added a three-point play to give the Eagles an insurmountable 59-45 edge. Five Emory players finished with double-digit points, led by Greven and Friedberg with 17. Friedberg had another strong effort with 14 rebounds to round out his second double-double of the weekend.
The Eagles will play next on Friday, Feb. 15 when they host Case Western Reserve University at 8 p.m. in another UAA showdown.
– By Ryan Smith
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