The Emory University men’s basketball season came to a dramatic close in a March 15 loss during the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship. This season was historic for the Eagles as the team was ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history. Emory fell to Wesleyan University (Conn.) in a 61-58 overtime thriller just a day after their 80-78 Sweet 16 win against the University of Mary Washington (Va.).
Going into the weekend, junior guard Ben Pearce said the team was focused on staying true to its identity and playing as well as it had throughout the season.
“We wanted to be true to who we’ve been all season since it’s been working for the most part,” Pearce said. “We really just tried to — as the moments get a little bit bigger — make sure we’re staying true to who we are and not getting ahead of ourselves, or not trying to switch too much up and just trust in what we have.”
In the win against Mary Washington, Emory’s star guard tandem of Pearce and junior Jair Knight combined to make 52 of the team’s 80 points. The game was tight until Emory went on a 10-0 run before a triple from Knight extended their lead to 12 with just over two minutes remaining. Mary Washington did not go down without a fight, storming back to make it a three-point game with just 37 seconds remaining.
After the teams exchanged free throws, Mary Washington forced a turnover and had a chance to take the lead with an open three-pointer but it ultimately bounced off the rim, allowing Emory to hold on.
The Sweet 16 game marked Emory’s 23rd win of the season, tying the second-most in program history and pushing the Eagles to the Elite Eight for the second time.
The stakes were higher in the following round as both Emory and Wesleyan were fighting to reach the Final Four for the first time in each school’s history. Heading into the game, Emory head coach Jason Zimmerman said his team knew the game would be a hard-fought contest.
“We knew it was going to be a physical battle,” Zimmerman said. “Rebound and loose balls war is big in any game. ... We had to play with some force in a game like that. When you’re trying to go to the Final Four, it’s very high-level physically.”
Wesleyan got off to a hot start, going on an 8-0 run to open the game before Pearce answered back with a three-pointer. While Wesleyan controlled the lead for most of the first half, the game remained close and the Eagles went into the halftime break trailing by just five.
However, as the second half began, the Cardinals went on another scoring spree and extended their lead up to 13 in the first few minutes. Emory regained some ground before Wesleyan recovered and had a 52-40 lead with 7:14 left in the game.
Despite the deficit, the Eagles hung in the game and went on a 9-0 run with baskets from Knight, sophomore wing AJ Harris and senior forward Logan Shanahan to cut Wesleyan’s lead to three. Shanahan attributed a lot of their momentum to the support from fans who traveled to the game.
“They gave us the energy we needed,” Shanahan said. “Every time we scored or made a big play, even though it was a packed Wesleyan crowd, we got quite a reaction from our fan base as well. And we kind of played into that, as well as finding our groove as the game went on and guys just started making big plays.”
As regulation came to a close, Emory trailed 56-53 before Pearce tied the game with an impressive and one layup, and the Eagles pushed the game to overtime after a last-second Wesleyan three-point attempt missed the mark. Pearce said his and one was driven by “desperation” to keep the Eagles in the game.
“I knew we needed a big play in that moment,” Pearce said. “They were really sitting and trying to take away my three-point shot, so I saw a window to attack the basket and I knew once I would attack somebody would step up, and I just would have to finish.”
Harris hit a quick layup to start overtime to give the Eagles their first lead of the game, but that shot ultimately proved to be Emory’s only two points in overtime. The Cardinals responded on the next possession with a three and added on to it with a pair of free throws later to make the score 61-58.
Knight nearly tied the game with 0.8 seconds left on a shot from just short of half-court, but it bounced off the rim, ending the game and the Eagles’ championship aspirations.
Despite the loss, Zimmerman said his team showcased their determination by fighting until the very end.
“We didn’t surrender at all, we just ran out of time,” Zimmerman said. “Something to really be proud of. I thought they represented Emory and Emory basketball and the Emory community with great pride and the competitive spirit in our group was something that I think you can see when you were there, or if you’re watching it online, or if you read about it.”
While the season ended earlier than the team had hoped, the Eagles had plenty of success to celebrate this season. Shanahan said he was most proud of how everyone on the team contributed when called upon.
“Whenever someone wasn’t playing well, we always had the next guy step up and perform their role exactly how we need them to and that was a reason we were so good this year,” Shanahan said. “I’m really proud of everyone who came in and just impacted the game in any way that they could and really stepped up.”
