Box Score Emory sophomore forward Jake Davis and senior guard Austin Claunch combined for 48 points in helping the Eagles to a 2011-12 home-opening 89-70 victory over LaGrange College. The win kept the No. 10-ranked Emory squad undefeated at 6-0 while the Panthers slipped to 2-5.
Davis led all players in both scoring with 26 points and rebounding with 12 boards, his second double-double of the year. He converted nine-of-18 from the floor and all seven attempts from the free throw line in registering his sixth double-figure scoring effort of the campaign. Claunch, playing all 40 minutes for the second straight contest, totaled 22 points, 16 in the second half, and doled out 10 assists, his eighth career outing of double digits in that department. After a slow start, shooting-wise, in the first half of play, Claunch sank seven-of-10 from the floor, including two-of-three from beyond the arc, over the final 20 minutes of action.
Senior Alex Gulotta chipped in a season-high 16 points that included four triples while freshman Michael Florin came off the bench to round out the team's double-figure scorers with 11 points, sinking five-of-six field goal tries.
After battling to a 40-38 halftime lead, Emory went on a 10-2 scoring run to start the second half, with Claunch scoring the first the team's seven points, followed by a Gulotta trey, to take a 50-40 advantage with 16:06 left in the game. The Panthers hung around, however, and when Marcus Vaughn hit a pair of charity tosses with 7:10 left on the clock, they trailed Emory by only five points, 70-65. From that point the Eagles began to put a stranglehold on the game, exploding for a 17-2 scoring burst, that included a 13-0 run, over the next six minutes to put the game out of reach at 87-67. Gulotta scored five points in that span while Claunch, Davis and junior Michael Friedberg all contributed four points. LaGrange made just one-of-six from the floor during the Emory outburst and turned the ball over on three occasions.
LaGrange ended the evening outshooting the Eagles, converting 45.5 percent (30-of-66) to Emory's 44.9 percent (31-of-69). The Eagles enjoyed a significant edge in three-point shooting raining down 11 triples, the team's fourth performance of double figures this season, compared to the Panthers' five treys. Emory was successful on 16-of-20 from the free throw line. Emory registered a 44-36 edge in rebounding and was aided by Friedberg's season-high 11 caroms.
Emory returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 3, when it hosts Covenant College in a 7 pm start.
NOTES – The win over LaGrange boosted Emory's all-time record in home openers to 21-5 … The Eagles have won their last eight home-opening contests … Claunch's 22 points against the Panthers marked the third time this season and 10th in his career that he has scored 20 or more points … Claunch has 956 career points, good for 12th place on the school's all-time scoring list … Emory has outrebounded five of six opponents this year … Gulotta's four three-point field goal boosts his career total to 145, good for sixth place on the school's all-time chart … Senior Justin Resnick hit a pair of triples this evening, the fifth time this season that he has drained two or more from beyond the arc … Davis has led the team in scoring in five games this year … Emory has outscored the opposition in 11 of 12 halves … Davis has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in five contests.
