The No. 2 ranked Emory University men's basketball team dropped its second consecutive contest Sunday afternoon, losing to No. 11 ranked WashU, 81-63, at the Woodruff PE Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Bears outscored the Eagles by 15 points in the second half and used a 21-point, double-double outing off the bench from Connor May to win their 14th game of the season, improving to 14-2 overall and 4-1 inside UAA play. For Emory, junior Jair Knight and sophomore AJ Harris posted matching 13 points to lead the Eagles as they fall to 13-3 on the season and 3-2 in conference action.
The game started strong in favor of the Eagles as five different Emory players recorded baskets within the opening six minutes, helping establish a 15-8 lead. Shortly thereafter, the Bears worked on a 9-0 scoring binge to seize their first lead of the game at 18-17 with 10:26 to go in the first half before Emory responded with its own 9-0 burst over the next 2:49, highlighted by four points from freshman Mario Awasum.
Another run from WashU saw them regain control of the lead at 28-27 just under the five-minute mark. The teams traded scores over the next four minutes prior to a three-pointer from the Bears' Hayden Doyle at the 1:09 mark gave WashU a 36-33 advantage going into the break. Doyle would finish with 20 points for the Bears.
Out of the locker room, WashU maintained either a one- or two-possession edge across the first 8:45 minutes and led by as many as seven at 51-44 with 11:15 remaining in regulation. Trailing by seven, Harris helped Emory pull within one at 54-53 with 8:43 to play as he personally scored nine straight points for the Eagles.
Despite Harris' best efforts, the WashU defense locked in and held Emory scoreless across a span of 4:50, using a 12-0 run to extend a four-point cushion into a 71-55 lead until Knight sank a triple with 1:51 to go. The Bears would go on to sink ten straight free throws over the next minute to move ahead by 23 points prior to buckets from freshman Will Otto and senior Cale Martens in the closing seconds rounded out the game.
The Eagles will be back on the floor of the WoodPEC next weekend with two more home dates against Carnegie Mellon (Jan. 31) and Case Western Reserve (Feb. 2). Friday's tilt with the Tartens is scheduled for 5:30 PM.
