Down two starters, the No. 7 ranked Emory University men's basketball team did not miss a beat as the Eagles opened the 2026 calendar Saturday afternoon with an 88-64 victory against crosstown foe Oglethorpe University in Brookhaven.
Senior Jair Knight paced the short-handed Eagles with a game-high 26 points to go along with five rebounds and four steals as he passed Terry Gorsuch for sixth place on the all-time scoring list with 1,497 points. Junior AJ Harris netted a season-high 18 points in a team-leading 34 minutes while sophomore Mario Awasum had a monster performance with 14 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and four blocks. Senior Tyson Thomas had a standout effort as well with seven points and seven assists in his first start of the season.
With the win, the Eagles conclude the non-conference slate with a 10-1 record while riding a nine-game winning streak. For the Stormy Petrels, they fall to 4-8 on the season following the defeat.
Upset-minded Oglethorpe kept pace with the national-ranked Eagles in the first half with the score remaining between a single possession for most of the opening 20 minutes. Despite keeping it close, Emory was able to grab some distance prior to the break – ending the half on 9-4 to move in front by as many as nine – the team's largest lead of the half – before going into halftime in front 45-38.
Second half adjustments boosted the Eagles as a strong start moved Emory ahead by 62-44 just 5:20 into the period. Oglethorpe had a mini run of its own to slash the Eagles' lead back down to single digits at 65-56 with 11:09 to play but a stellar dunk by Knight – one of many highlight reel slams on the afternoon – ended the momentum. The Eagles used the dunk to kickstart a 20-4 run over the next eight minutes of play to seize their largest lead of the game at 85-60 on a Thomas triple with 3:11 left to go.
Emory will now turn its attention to UAA action as the Eagles travel to Rochester for the conference opener next Saturday, January 10th at 12:00 PM.
