Emory’s men’s basketball team faced off against New York University and Brandeis University (Mass.) on Jan. 17th and 15th, respectively. The Eagles won against NYU 71-64, but fell to Brandeis 76-68 in overtime.
The Eagles came up with a big win on the road against NYU to start the weekend, an undefeated team ranked 15th in Division III.
Senior forward Will Trawick put together an impressive performance, leading the team with 21 points, eight rebounds and six defensive rebounds. Trawick also went five for nine from the three point range. Senior guard Davis Rao bolstered the Eagles’ performance by adding eight points, seven rebounds, six defensive rebounds and two steals. Sophomore forward Adam Gigax stepped up, putting up 13 points and shooting a very impressive three for five from the three point range. Junior guard Jonathan Terry came off the bench and put together a stellar performance with seven points, six rebounds and two assists. Sophomore guard Whitt Rapp led the team with five assists. Rapp also put himself into the double-digit range with 12 points.
After a slow start, with the Eagles trailing early in the game 6-2 and 14-8 respectively, the Eagles went on a pair of eight point runs and never looked back. When halftime came around, the Eagles led the Bobcats with a score of 39-27.
At the beginning of the second half, the Bobcats made closed the gap, making their deficit from 45 to 40; however, the Eagles were able to regain their double-digit lead. The Bobcats were still able to make it an exciting finish, cutting the lead to 69-64 with nine seconds to go. However, the Eagles closed out strong by adding two more points to beat NYU with a final score of 71-64.
Emory wrapped up their weekend road trip with a devastating overtime loss against Brandeis.
Gigax put together another stellar performance, scoring a game leading 25 points. In addition, he added four rebounds, four defensive rebounds and two assists. Trawick, the only other double-digit scorer for the Eagles, also played an impressive game, adding to his already strong senior season. Trawick recorded 18 points, five rebounds and two assists. Junior guard/6th man Jonathan Terry came off the bench and led the team in rebounds with eight total. The Eagles jumped out with a big 14-5 lead in the first six minutes of the game; however, after trailing 18-9, Brandeis went on a 15 point run, taking a 24-18 lead. At the end of the half, the Eagles trailed by a score of 31-34.
The roller coaster game continued into the second half, as Emory eventually regained the lead by a score of 58-55. With a minute and 17 seconds left, the game was tied at 61. Both teams were unable to score, though, and the game went to overtime.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, Brandeis was able to pull out the game in overtime, ultimately winning by a final score of 76-68. This game was truly an exciting one, with multiple lead changes and double-digit point runs. With this loss, Emory fell to 9-5.
The Eagles hope to continue their undefeated season at home this weekend when they play Carnegie Mellon University (Penn.) and Case Western Reserve University (Oh.). Emory will play their next game in their home gym against Carnegie Mellon on Friday, Jan. 22. They will then face Case Western Reserve on Sunday, Jan. 24.
