The No. 7 ranked Emory University men's basketball team returned from its holiday break with another thunderous victory, scoring a season-high 104 points as the Eagles toppled previously unbeaten Bates College 104-66 on the first day of the Emory Holiday Classic in Atlanta.
Senior Ben Pearce led a well-balanced scoring effort for the Eagles with a game-high 18 points followed by senior Jair Knight and junior AJ Harris with 16 points each. Freshman Eli Fauss joined the trio in double figures with a career-best 11 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting from the field.
"It was good to be back from the break," said Head Coach Jason Zimmerman following the win. "We played with great poise offensively and guarded the three-point line well, especially in the first half, setting the tone defensively."
Monday afternoon's victory was all-Emory from the jump as the Eagles raced out to an 11-1 lead within the opening three minutes and led by as many as 35 points in the first half. Emory was on fire from the floor across the opening 20 minutes, shooting 20-for-29 from the floor and was 8-for-12 from long range. The Bobcats were held just 3-for-21 in the period as Emory was in front 59-28 at halftime.
In the second half, the Eagles' lead grew to as many as 49 points on free throws from Spencer Hall made the score 90-41 with 8:36 remaining before settling on the 38-point margin of victory – the Eagles' largest of the season.
Fifteen of the 16 Emory players that saw playing time contributed in the scoring column while Pearce led the team with seven rebounds as the Eagles as a unit out-rebounded Bates, 44-42. Pearce was one of four players that finished with a team-high four assists, joining Harris Jackson, Tyson Thomas and John Coppolino IV, as the Eagles had a season-best 27 assists.
"We'll enjoy the win tonight and have a nice 24-hour preparation period as we get ready to face a very good Hampden-Sydney squad on Tuesday," Zimmerman continued.
The Emory Holiday Classic concludes on Tuesday when Bates (9-1) faces No. 25 Maryville (TN) (9-3) at 2:00 PM followed by Emory (8-1) against No. 16 H-SC (7-3) at 4:00 PM. The Tigers topped the Scots, 63-55, in the early game on Monday.
