By Elana Cates
Asst. Sports Editor
This past Saturday, Nov. 8, the men's basketball team fell to the Division I College of Charleston (S.C.) in their first exhibition play of the season.
The game marked Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant's unofficial public debut at the helm of the Cougars..
The Eagles started the match powerfully, including a dunk within the first minute and then a pair three-pointers by junior forward Will Trawick, which gave Emory a 10-4 lead early in the play.
The lead would change hands six times within the next 11 minutes, finally ending the first half with Charleston up 35-31.
After the break, the Charleston Cougars asserted their defense, stopping six of the Eagles' seven possessions.
A three-pointer from the Cougars' sophomore guard Joe Chealey marked the first double-digit lead over Emory.
From this point, the Cougars maintained their lead over Emory. The Eagles fought to close the margin, and with four minutes to go were only six points down. After a vigorous fight, the game ended with the Cougars on top, 78-68.
"The exhibition game was our first chance to play as a team in a complete game setting," sophomore forward Jim Gordon said. "The loss was a great opportunity to learn from the mistakes we made, while highlighting the great potential we have for the upcoming season."
Senior forward Alex Foster, scoring a game-high 27 points, led the Eagles. Senior guard Josh Schattie and Trawick followed closely behind, scoring 11 and 13 points, respectively.
All three freshmen were able to see the court in their first exhibition game, with guard Whit Rapp playing a total of 13 minutes and recording two assists.
The Cougars have now won seven-straight exhibition games, and the Eagles appeared at the Elite Eight of the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament last season.
"[For next week's game,] we will rally by coming together as one team and showcasing the hard work we put in together every day to come out with a win," Gordon said.
The team is preparing for a fun and successful season.
"After watching [our] film we were able to see and tweak areas that can be improved," sophomore guard Jonathan Terry said. "Overall, we're just excited because it's just the start of what's going to be a great season."
The Eagles can be seen in action on Tuesday, Nov. 18, against Oglethorpe University (Ga.) at 7 p.m. in the Woodruff Physical Education Center (WoodPEC).
– By Elana Cates, Asst. Sports Editor
Charleston Tops Emory in Exhibition
Senior guard Michael Florin takes the ball down court in Charleston, S.C. Florin and the Eagles fell to Division I College of Charleston in an exhibition game last Saturday. The final score of the game was 78-68. | Photo Courtesy of Emory Athletics
