Junior Austin Claunch and sophomore Alex Greven each scored 18
points and the Emory men's basketball team closed out a
memorable weekend Sunday afternoon with a 78-70 triumph at the
University of Chicago. The win boosted the Eagles'
overall record to 11-3, 2-1 in the University Athletic Association
while the Maroons slipped to 5-9 overall and 2-1 in the
conference.
Greven ended the afternoon connecting on five-of 11 from the floor
including two-of-five from three-point range as he notched his
12th double-figure scoring performance of the
campaign. Greven's last two field goals came at
critical moments with his trey with 2:25 left on the clock giving
Emory a 72-67 edge. Following a three-pointer by UC's
Tom Williams with 1:15 remaining that cut the Eagles' lead to
72-70, Greven came through with a runner from the baseline as the
shot clock was winding down that extended Emory's lead to
74-70 with 38 ticks on the clock. The Eagles' then
scored their final four points from the foul line with Claunch and
junior Alex Gulotta each sinking a pair.
Claunch played his usual strong floor game, converting six-of-eight
from the field and four-of-five from the charity stripe. He
also doled out eight assists and chalked up a game-high three
steals.
With the win this afternoon, it marked the first time in school
history that an Eagles' team has swept the
“Midwest” road trip, topping Washington University on
Friday night. It is believed that it is just the fourth time
in UAA history that a team has accomplished the feat of winning at
both Wash U and Chicago the same weekend
The host Chicago squad outshot Emory from the floor, 46.9 percent
(23-of-49) to 44.1 percent (26-of-59) and drained 10 shots from
beyond the arc to the Eagles' nine. The Maroons also
finished with a slight 32-31 edge on the glass but were hampered by
15 turnovers compared to just nine Emory miscues. Tommy Sotos and
Tom Williams tied for UC scoring honors with 15 points apiece
Holding a 46-41 lead at halftime, Emory scored the first four
points of the second half to claim a 50-41 margin The Eagles still
held a 63-57 advantage with 7:46 on the clock before Chicago
mounted a 7-0 charge to take a 64-63 lead. After Jake Davis
sank a pair of free throws that put the Eagles up by a 65-64 count,
the Maroons' Matt Johnson knocked down a pair from the
charity stripe that enabled UC to retake a 66-65 lead with 4:55
remaining. Claunch then put the Eagles ahead for good their
ensuing possession with 4:28 remaining following his lay-up.
In an up-tempo first half that saw the teams combine for 13
three-point field goals, Emory went into halftime with a five-point
lead. The Eagles shot 45.5 percent from the field, including
40.0 percent (6-of-15) from beyond the arc, while the Maroons were
successful on 50 percent of their field goal (13-of-26) and
three-point (7-of-14) tries. Chicago held a 19-18 lead with 12:29
left in the stanza following a bucket by Steve Stefanou, but Emory
responded with a 10-0 run, started by treys by Claunch and
Gulotta, to assume a 28-19 edge. The Eagles would eventually
take their biggest lead of the afternoon, 33-23, with 7:29
remaining following another triple by Claunch. After Chicago
scored the game's next seven points, a bucket by junior Corey
Spraggins pushed the Eagles' lead back to five with 4:55 on
the clock. Over the next two minutes and thirty seconds,
Emory and Chicago recorded five treys, with Justin Resnick knocking
down two of his three first-half three-pointers in that
stretch. Resnick finished the game with nine points.
Emory's 11-3 record is the program's second-best
14-game record in school history, behind only the 1989-90
team's 13-1 slate.
The Eagles return to action on Friday (Jan. 21) when it makes its
UAA home debut against Case Western in an 8:00 p.m. start.
