Senior Austin Claunch scored 23 points and sophomore Jake Davis added 16 points but it wasn't enough as the Emory men's basketball team came out on the short end of an University Athletic Association game at Washington University.  WU raised its overall record to 14-4, 6-1 in the UAA, with a 99-88 decision over the No. 4-ranked Eagles who slipped to 15-3 overall, 4-3 in the league.

Emory ended the game hitting 43.3 percent (29-of-67) from the floor and tied a season best by converting 13 three-point field goals.  WU finished with a 51.7 percent (31-of-60) effort from the field and used the three-point shot to its benefit, successfully hitting 57.9 percent (11-of-19) of its opportunities from beyond the arc.  The Bears held a decisive 52-31 edge on the glass that helped them to a 15-3 advantage in second-chance points.

Claunch concluded the contest hitting eight-of-16 from the field, including four-of-six from three-point range, in posting his third straight and ninth outing of 20 more points this season.  Davis hit five-of-nine from the floor, including a pair of triples, along with draining four-of-four from the charity stripe.  Junior Michael Friedberg finished with 15 points, along with a team-high seven boards, while classmate Alex Greven rounded out the team's double-figure scorers with 13 points.

With Claunch scoring eight points and senior Alex Gulotta chipping in six points, the Eagles knocked down four three pointers in taking a 20-12 lead with 12:25 left in the opening half.  However, WU answered with a 16-2 run, with senior Dylan Richter scoring the first 12 on the strength of four triples, to claim a 28-22 advantage with 7:20 remaining.  After a jumper by the Eagles' Davis cut the deficit to four, the Bears rattled off nine unanswered points to push its lead to 13 points, 37-24, with 4:22 left in the half. Emory stemmed the tide with six straight points, the final two coming on a pair of free throws by Davis, to draw to within six points.  But WU answered the Emory charge with a 9-0 blitz, with Matt Palucki scoring seven straight points, to build a formidable 16-point cushion with 37 ticks on the clock.  A three pointer by Emory senior Jason Resnick with three seconds remaining closed out the stanza's scoring that saw WU take a 46-33 edge into the locker room at half.  WU connected on 50 percent (18-of-36) from the floor compared to the Eagles' 34.4 percent (11-of-32). Both teams converted six three pointers while the Bears held a 29-14 edge on the glass.  WU's Richter scored 21 points during the first 20 minutes to lead all scorers.

The Bears extended their lead to 17 points with 16:44 left in the game following a bucket by Ben Hoener.  After the Eagles cut the deficit to 12 points with 15:05 on the clock, a triple by Richter followed by a bucket by Chris Klimek pushed the home team's lead back to 17 points with 13:57 left.  Richter ended the afternoon with a game-high 33 points, sinking 11 of his 17 field goal attempts including nine-of-13 from three-point range.  Freshman Matt Palucki added 19 points and 10 rebounds to the WU cause. The Bears would build an 18-point advantage, their largest lead of the game, with 11:43 remaining and still maintained a 16-point edge, 75-59, with 7:42 on the clock.   Emory mounted a comeback, starting with a 7-0 run, started by back-to-back buckets by Greven, followed by a three pointer by Resnick, to creep to within nine points with 6:42 left.  After a pair of WU free throws pushed its lead to 11 points, treys by Claunch and Davis, sliced the Bears' lead to 82-77, with 3:32 on the clock.  However, that would be as close as the Eagles would get as WU scored 15 of its final 17 points from the charity stripe.

Emory returns to action on Friday (Feb. 3) when it hosts the University of Chicago in an 8:00 p.m. start.