The #8 Emory men's basketball team traveled north to Grand Rapids, Michigan to take part in the 2024 Great Lakes Invitational this weekend. The Eagles opened the tournament with a meeting against the hosts, the #9 Calvin Knights, on Friday evening. With a career-high 31 points from junior Jair Knight, the Eagles won their second consecutive game against a ranked opponent as Emory trounced the Knights, 83-74.
 
Knight added 11 rebounds to record a double-double while shooting five-of-nine beyond the arc, with senior Logan Shanahan adding 14 points and nine boards of his own. Junior Ben Pearce got on the stat sheet with 12 points and six assists while sophomore AJ Harris knocked down three-of-six attempts from three to contribute in the Emory win.
 
The Eagles ran out to an 11-5 lead in the opening three minutes as senior Albert Fallas, Shanahan, and Harris nailed threes to set the tone. Yet, the Knights chipped away at the lead to take a 12-11 lead over Emory in the ensuing few minutes. The two offenses went cold for the next few minutes until Fallas knocked down a three to end the scoreless streak.
 
Knight began to come alive with eight minutes remaining in the half. The junior knocked down a shot from beyond the arc before converting an and-one on the ensuing possession. The Knights continued to have answers for the Emory offense, thought, knocking down shots of their own. Knight knocked down another triple at the three-minute mark for his 13^th points of the half to keep the game tied at 37.
 
The two teams traded blows for the remainder of the half, with Harris knocking down a three in the waning moments to give Emory a 42-39 lead at the break. Emory capitalized on the Knights' miscues in the first half, pulling down 13 offensive rebounds and scoring 19 points off turnovers. Meanwhile, the Knights were only able to haul in three offensive boards and score three points off turnovers.
 
The second half opened the same way the first ended, with both teams trading shots. The teams remained within two points of one another from the 15:35 mark until Pearce rattled home a step-back three at the 10-minute mark to give Emory a 61-58 lead – a lead that Calvin quickly had an answer for as they knocked down a three of their own to tie the game up.
 
The Knights took their largest lead of the contest at the 6:22 mark, leading 68-63. Then, Knight came alive. The Ohio native went on to score 11 points in the final six minutes, including two contested threes inside of the final four minutes. Knight hit a three at the 1:47 mark to give Emory a 78-73 lead and proceeded to swat away a layup on defense on Calvin's ensuing possession. The Eagles were able to knock down their free throws the rest of the way and pull out an 83-74 win.
 
This is Emory's second consecutive win over ranked opponents as they improve to 3-0 on the young season. The Eagles will now get ready to play their third-straight matchup with a ranked opponent as they'll clash with #3 John Carroll tomorrow night. The game against the Blue Streaks will tip off at 5:30 PM at Calvin University's Van Noord Arena.