The Emory’s men’s basketball team split last weekend, defeating Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) by 105-82 but losing to the University of Chicago by 114-107.
The games started on Feb. 8 when the Eagles faced off against WashU. Emory dominated the game and secured an impressive 105-82 victory. The team produced 118 shots total and displayed admirable efficiency, shooting 55.7 percent from the floor, 45.2 percent from the three-point line and 76.5 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, the team totaled eight steals, four blocks and 37 rebounds. Sophomore Guard Nick Stuck dominated the boards, grabbing eight total rebounds, while sophomore forward Lawrence Rowley secured seven.
The Eagles played the University of Chicago on Feb. 9 in a much anticipated rematch after Emory’s overtime loss last month. The game was bound to be close, but Chicago obtained a 114-107 win after a high-scoring and hard-fought match. The Eagles continued to shoot at will, putting up a total of 138 shots.
Ultimately, the game was decided on the glass. Chicago out-rebounded Emory 52-38 and ended up scoring 31 second-chance points in contrast to Emory’s 15 second-chance points. Rowley and sophomore guard Matthew Schner grabbed a combined 16 rebounds, almost half of the team’s total rebounds.
“We have to be a better rebounding team in that situation,” Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said. “Also just finishing plays and finishing the last 12 minutes of the game or the last two seconds on a shot clock. It’s something we’ve been decent at all year and now we just need to finish this last weekend on the road.”
Sophomore guard Romin Williams led in scoring for the Eagles over the weekend. Williams drained 31 points in 33 minutes of play on Friday and scored 27 points in 31 minutes of play against the University of Chicago.
“I thought we played well for a total of 60 minutes this weekend,” Williams said. “We played great against Wash[U] Friday night and had a good first half against Chicago on Sunday.”
Williams added that the team learned it needs to “finish better” in the future.
After this weekend, the Eagles stand at 17-5 overall and 8-3 within the University Athletic Association (UAA). The team, which currently ranks sixth in Division III scoring offenses, will return to the court for an away game on Feb. 15 against Case Western Reserve University (Ohio). Then, they return home for their senior day on Feb. 23.
