The Emory men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to six games after defeating the Brandeis University (Mass.) Judges on Feb. 1 and the New York University (NYU) Violets on Feb. 3.
In an 88-64 win over Brandeis, sophomore forward Matt Davet and sophomore guard Nick Stuck led Emory with 20 points and 18 points, respectively. With the win, the Eagles improved their record to a stellar 15-4.
Offensively, the Eagles shot an impressive 50 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from the three-point line. Emory also scored 28 points on turnovers, 31 bench points and 40 points in the paint. Although Brandeis shot 47.4 percent from beyond the arc, the Eagles had 21 more shots and were able to outscore the Judges.
Head Coach Jason Zimmerman thought the Eagles’ work on the glass helped them stay in front of Brandeis. He also attributed the game’s quick pace to Emory’s offensive success.
“Offensive rebounds are key for second-chance points,” Zimmerman said.
Although Brandeis shot a remarkable 49 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from beyond the arc, the Eagles held the Judges to only 49 shots, compared to the Eagles’ 70 shots. Emory accomplished this by only giving up 23 rebounds, eight turnovers and seven points off of turnovers. Additionally, the Eagles scored 28 points off of the Judges’ 19 turnovers.
After the win against Brandeis, Emory traveled to New York and notched another win against NYU, 75-67.
Sophomore guard Matthew Schner scored a team-high 17 points and helped the Eagles improve to a 16-4 record.
Although Emory only shot 18.2 percent from the three-point line, the Eagles still played well offensively. The team shot 44.1 percent from the field and 95 percent from the free-throw line. Additionally, Emory had 36 points in the paint and 15 bench points. Zimmerman cited the Eagles’ diverse roster as a major reason why they were able to pull out the win despite the poor shooting.
“We have a lot of different weapons offensively,” Zimmerman said. “Our team is very versatile this year.”
On the defensive end, the Eagles held the Violets to 38.8 percent shooting from the field and 26.3 percent from the the three-point line. Furthermore, NYU only had 38 rebounds, compared to Emory’s 42 rebounds. NYU also turned the ball over 12 times, which resulted in Emory gaining seven points.
“Protecting the ball and controlling the glass was a vital part of pulling out that win,” Schner said. “This game was a great test for us heading into a very big weekend home game.”
The Eagles return to action on Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. against rivals Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.). This game is expected to be the game of the year.
