Hoping to build momentum after a road sweep of University Athletic Association (UAA) foes, the men's basketball team returned home to face conference rivals New York University and Brandeis University (N.Y.).
Emory used two strong offensive performances along with some great individual play to win both games, improving their overall record to 17-7 with a UAA of 9-4. With the two victories, Emory is now tied for second place in the UAA.
On Friday evening, the Eagles matched up with the 15-7 NYU Violets, who entered the game with a conference record of 5-7. After racing out to a first half lead, Emory was able to put away NYU, winning the game 86-77.
Leading the Eagles to victory were senior McPherson Moore and junior Alex Foster, who scored 22 and 20 points, respectively.
Emory controlled the first half from the opening whistle, leading throughout behind 14 points from Moore. The highlight of the half came at the buzzer, when Moore hit a half-court three-pointer to cap off a 7-0 run that put Emory up 46-35.
Asked about the impressive shot, Moore wrote: "I was just trying to catch the inbounds pass, put the ball near the hoop and get the shot off in time, making the shot was probably my fourth or fifth concern. Sometimes the shots that you don't think too much about are the easiest to make."
Despite the early deficit, the Violets would not relent in the second half, as each team went on critical runs that made the period very entertaining.
Up 47-38, the Eagles went on a 9-2 run to take a commanding lead 56-40. The Violets, behind game-high scorer Ryan Tana with 31 points, went on a 13-4 run to cut the lead to seven with just over 10 minutes to go in the game. The Violets would cut the lead to five on two occasions in the half, but the Eagles were able to respond each time, sealing the deal with defense, holding NYU scoreless for almost three minutes.
Emory shot 42.9 percent from the field but did most of its damage from downtown and the foul line, where the team shot 10-26 and 16-18, respectively.
Rounding out the double-digit scorers for the Eagles was senior Jake Davis, the team's leading scorer, who had 19 points. Emory outrebounded NYU 42-37 behind sophomore Will Trawick's nine boards.
Sunday was Senior Day for the Emory men's basketball team, honoring the squad's seniors for their contributions to the team over the years. On Sunday afternoon, Emory faced off with the 12-11 Brandeis Judges, who were 4-8 in UAA play going into the game. Led by Moore and Davis, the seniors made Senior Day a memorable one, as they combined for 47 points, leading the Eagles to a close 85-80 victory.
The Judges started the game off strong and were able to withstand 19 first half points from Moore to take a 45-41 lead going into halftime.
Down 57-50 early in the second stanza, the Eagles went on a 15-7 run to take the lead 65-64. After several lead changes, Brandeis was up by one point with less than two minutes remaining in the game. Davis made a crucial three-point play to put the Eagles up 81-79. After the three-point play, the Judges were unable to recover the lead as the Eagles made the necessary free throws down the stretch.
Emory shot 43.3 percent from the field, led by Moore, who finished with 25 points, and Davis, who had 22 in the game. Also scoring in double figures was Foster who scored 16 points in the second half en route to an 18 point, 12 rebound effort, his second double-double of the season. Brandeis's bench outscored Emory's 37-13, but the Eagles were able to make up the difference off of turnovers, scoring 20 points off Brandeis miscues.
Moore, after his stellar weekend, wrote about the team's effort in an email to the Wheel: "It took all 15 guys on the team to win these games. We played well offensively in both games but when we needed a stop we got one."
Despite the two wins, Moore believes that the team still has room for improvement, noting that the defense can improve.
Next up for the squad is the regular season finale, when they play at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) on Saturday, March 1.
– By Ethan Morris
Photo by James Crissman
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