The No. 3 ranked Emory University men's basketball team remained unbeaten in conference play and extended its winning streak to 13 games on Friday as the Eagles defeated Case Western Reserve University, 72-63, in front of raucous crowd at the Woodruff PE Center in Atlanta.
With the win, Emory now boasts the second-longest winning streak in program history and trails only the 1989-90 squad which reached 17 games for the longest streak ever. The Eagles keep pace in the UAA standings with the victory, moving to 4-0 and tied atop the table with UChicago. The Eagles own an overall record of 14-1 while CWRU falls to 8-7 on the season and 0-4 in conference action.
Junior Ethan Fauss paced all scorers on the evening with 19 points as he was one of five Eagles that reached double figures in the nine-point win. Fauss matched classmate AJ Harris for a team-leading nine rebounds and added three blocks. Seniors Ben Pearce and Jair Knight each totaled 12 points with Harris and sophomore Harris Jackson adding 11 and 10 points, respectively.
A slower start than usual saw Emory fall behind the Spartans 6-0 in the early stages and the visitors held a 17-14 edge with 11:11 left on the game clock. A three-pointer from Fauss though, one of his five triples in the contest, helped start an 8-0 run for the Eagles which turned into a 19-3 rally to gain a 33-20 advantage with 75 seconds remaining in the half. The Spartans cut it to a single digit game once more but a jumper by Pearce in the closing seconds boosted the Eagles lead to 35-24 at the break.
Case Western Reserve responded with an 11-2 run of their own to start the second half, giving the Eagles a slim 37-35 lead prior to the under 16-minute timeout. The game would remain close throughout the second half with the Eagles maintaining a one or two possession lead.
As minutes dwindled, the score stayed a narrow margin by a strong two-handed put-back slam by Mario Awasum had the Eagles in front at 64-59 with 2:53 left to go. The Spartans answered with a tip-in but another three-pointer by Fauss with 2:18 on the clock was a crucial make in sealing the deal. Free throws by Knight and Pearce as well as a basket by Harris led Emory to end the game on an 8-2 run.
With Sunday's postponement due to weather concerns, the Eagles will be back on the court next Friday, January 30th with a road tilt at No. 18 WashU. Tip off from St. Louis is scheduled for 6:30 PM ET.
