The No. 2 ranked Emory men's basketball team (13-1, 3-0 UAA) wrapped up its road trip with a matchup against UAA opponent Brandeis (10-4, 1-2 UAA). Behind a double-double from senior Logan Shanahan featuring a career-high 27 points to go with 10 rebounds, the Eagles trounced the Judges, 88-77 at Red Auerbach Arena in Waltham, Massachusetts. With the win, the Eagles improve to an unblemished 3-0 in conference play.
 
Junior Jair Knight made history of his own in the game, scoring his 1,000^th point as an Eagle in the second half with an emphatic, one-handed slam. He became the 20^th Eagle in franchise history to eclipse 1,000 career points. He finished just shy of a double-double, hauling in nine rebounds on top of five assists. Ben Pearce, a fellow 1,000-point scorer, kept his strong junior campaign rolling, scoring 18 points along with six assists. As a unit, the Eagles collected 46 points inside the paint while scoring 13 points off turnovers.
 
The first half got off to a slow start for the Eagles, as they failed to make a field goal for the first three minutes of the game. Yet, Shanahan was able to break through with a three-pointer to jumpstart the offense. The Judges picked up several shooting fouls in the early going as well, yet the Eagles were unable to capitalize at the charity-stripe going two-of-six in the opening four minutes.
 
Then, a clear path violation on Knight really sparked the Eagles' offense. Knight knocked down both shots before rattling home a layup on the ensuing retained possession. On the other end, Knight intercepted a pass and took it coast-to-coast to convert the layup and score six points in a matter of just 30 seconds and give Emory an 11-7 lead.
 
After the sluggish start, both teams began to knock down their fair share of three-pointers. With just less than 14 minutes to go in the first half, the two squads were a combined 7-11 from beyond the arc. It was Knight and Pearce for the Eagles trading blows with Elias Rodl and Jake Bender for Brandeis, with each team making a three in five straight possessions.
 
The Judges then went on a quick 9-0 run over just a minute-and-a-half stretch to take a 25-23 lead. The scoring flurry was brought to a halt by junior John Coppolino IV when he rattled home a corner three to retain the lead. The teams traded blows the next couple of minutes before the Eagles went on a 9-0 run of their own. Shanahan converted an and-one with 6:25 showing on the clock to kick off the run, as the Eagles shot 4-of-7 while holding the Judges scoreless over the two-minute stretch.
 
The remainder of the half saw both teams knock down shots, but Emory remained on top as they head to the half with a 39-34 advantage. Both squads left points on the floor, though, as the two shot a combined 10-of-23 from the free throw line and were both under 50%. There were six lead changes in the half as well.
 
The Judges came out of the break with a new-found confidence from beyond the arc. Brandeis got out to an 11-2 run, featuring three-of-four shooting from deep in the opening two-and-a-half minutes to give the Judges a lead.
 
Yet, just like the first half, the Eagles responded with a run of their own. Pearce rattled home a three at the 13-minute mark to regain the lead, 53-52. This sparked what would be an 11-0 run, punctuated by a one-handed slam from Knight to seize his 1,000^th career points, as Emory took a 61-52 lead with just over 11 minutes showing on the game clock.
 
It was a lead the Eagles would never relinquish, largely due in part to Shanahan's consistent shooting down the stretch. The Judges began to find some success as the clock continued to run, hitting four-of-six attempts from three in the final 10 minutes. Yet, Shanahan recorded 13 of his 27 points over that stretch while Pearce was able to record eight points of his own to keep Brandeis at arm's length and put the comeback bid to bed. Shanahan finished the day shooting an impressive 11-of-19 from the field.
 
With the win, the Eagles improve to 13-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play. Emory heads into next weekend in sole possession of first place of the UAA, being the last remaining unbeaten team in the league.
 
Next up, the Chicago Maroons and WashU Bears will visit Atlanta for a pair of home games next weekend. The game against the Maroons will tip off at 5:30 PM on Friday, January 24^th while the game against the Bears will start at 2:00 PM on Sunday, January 26^th.