The No. 23-ranked Emory men's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the 2010-11 campaign this evening as it dropped a 74-66 road decision at LaGrange College.  The setback dropped the Eagles record to 7-1 while the Panthers earned their first win in 11 decisions.

LaGrange earned the win by closing out the final 2:34 of the contest with a 14-4 scoring burst that wiped out a two-point Emory lead as the Eagles could only hit two of their final nine field goal attempts.  After Emory junior guard Austin Claunch had given the Eagles a 62-60 edge after knocking down a pair of free throws with 2:51 left in the contest,  LaGrange responded with a 10-0 run, started by back-to-back baskets by Nic Whitfield followed by a three-point field goal by Blake Craft that put the Panthers up by a 67-62 margin with 1:00 remaining.  A pair of free throws by Marcus Vaughn followed by a charity toss by Whitfield put the home team up by 10 points with just 41 ticks on the clock and proved to much for Emory to overcome.

Emory ended the evening shooting 42.1 percent from the floor, hitting 24-of-57 opportunities while LaGrange was successful on 53.7 percent (29-of-54).  Neither team shot well from beyond the arc with the Eagles going for 23.8 percent (5-of-21) and LaGrange hitting three of its nine attempts.  Emory continued to be solid at the free throw line, hitting all 13 of its attempts.

Freshman Jake Davis turned in a big effort for the Eagles, topping the team with 17 points, his fourth straight double-figure scoring outing, sinking eight-of-nine from the floor and his lone free throw try.  Sophomore Alex Greven and Claunch rounded out the team's double-figure scorers with 16 and 15 points, respectively.

Emory returns to action on Dec. 30 when it hosts Washington and Lee University in a 4:00 p.m. tip.