Box Score Freshman forward Alex Foster came off the bench to score a season-high 20 points and the No. 4-ranked Emory men's basketball team bounced back from a Friday evening setback in impressive fashion Sunday afternoon as the Eagles defeated Brandeis University in University Athletic Association action. The Eagles raised their mark to 13-1 (2-1 UAA) following a decisive 95-58 decision over the Judges who slipped to 8-6 overall (2-1 UAA).
Emory ended the game shooting an even 50 percent (32-of-64) from the floor compared to the host Judges' mark of 39 percent (21-of-54). After connecting on just 29.6 percent from three-point range in the loss to NYU, the Eagles shot a season-high 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from beyond the arc, with that mark the fifth-highest game effort in school history. Though Brandeis did muster a 34-30 edge on the glass, it was hampered by 18 turnovers while the Eagles finished with just six miscues, the fourth time this season that they finished with single digits in that category, leading to a 27-7 Emory bulge in the points off turnovers category.
Foster sank seven-of-nine from the floor in recording his second double-digit scoring performance of the season. Foster also knocked down all four of his three-point field goal tries, three of those coming in the first half. Sophomore Jake Davis was next up on the Emory scoresheet with 19 points, his 14th double-figure scoring outing of the season, and topped the squad with eight rebounds. Junior Michael Friedberg totaled 17 points, hitting seven-of-10 field goal tries, and snatched six rebounds while senior Austin Claunch rounded out the squad's double-figure scorers with 14 points that included a four-of-five showing from three-point range. Claunch also dished out eight assists and totaled three steals.
Emory roared out of the gate early, using a 23-6 run over a seven-minute stretch to claim a 25-12 lead with 11:35 left in the stanza. The Eagles hit 10 of their first 19 field goal tries, including four-of-five from beyond the arc, in taking the 13-point lead and in the process displaying a hint of what would take place the rest of the half. After a bucket by BU's Ben Bartoldus drew the Judges to within 12 points, Emory rattled off a 7-0 spurt, with Davis scoring six points, to lay claim to a 36-17 cushion with 8:12 on the clock. Back-to-back three-point field goals by Brandeis cut its deficit to 15 points, 40-25, but the Eagles mounted an unrelenting 21-9 barrage over the final 4:53 of the stanza to go into halftime with a 61-34 lead. Foster played a big role in that stretch, scoring 13 of his 15 first-half points in span, and finished the opening half by sinking five-of-six from the floor including all three of his three-point attempts. Davis totaled 14 points in the stanza while Claunch and Friedberg each chipped in 11 points. Claunch knocked down all three of his triple tries while Friedberg was successful on four-of-five from the floor along with his lone three-point attempt. Emory shot a lights-out 60 percent (21-of-25) from the field in the first half, including nine-of-10 from beyond the arc. The 61 points represented the most points scored in a half by a Jason Zimmerman-coached Emory team.
After the opening eight minutes of the second half, Emory still maintained its 27-point lead before back-to-back baskets by Friedberg upped its advantage to 78-47 with 10:47 left in the game. After a basket by BU's Alex Schmidt, the Eagles scored game's next 10 points, with Foster accounting for five of those points, in taking what would be its largest lead of the game, 88-49, with 7:00 on the clock. All 13 Emory players who suited up saw action with 11 finding their way into the scoring column.
Emory returns to action on Friday (Jan. 20) when it entertains Carnegie Mellon in an 8:00 p.m. start.
