For the second consecutive game, the No. 7 ranked Emory University men's basketball team was pushed to overtime but the Eagles prevailed once more, taking down No. 1 ranked Chicago 97-94 Sunday afternoon in Atlanta.
Senior Jair Knight propelled the Eagles to the OT win with a career-high 36 points followed by a 24-point outing by classmate Ben Pearce. Knight tied with junior Ethan Fauss for the team lead with nine rebounds while Pearce continued to distribute the ball at a high level as he led both teams with nine assists.
"Really proud of our guys and their staying power throughout the weekend," said Head Coach Jason Zimmerman. "We also matched the peaks and valleys of the games with a sustained high level of focus that was consistent throughout all 11 rounds."
Once again, the Eagles came out of the gates with strong poise as Emory opened the game on an 11-2 run and continued to hold a first half lead until Chicago seized their first lead at 26-25 with 7:16 to go in the half. After the Eagles regained their lead with free throws by Pearce and slam dunk from sophomore Mario Awasum, Chicago countered with back-to-back triples and would continue their momentum to take a 46-39 lead into the break.
The Eagles fell into a larger deficit in the early stages of the second half as Chicago started the second half with a 13-2 run to build a 62-49 advantage with 15:27 showing in regulation. From there though, Emory showed its resilience as the team exploded on a 15-4 lead to move back in front by one at 68-67 with 8:48 to go.
Nine straight points from Knight helped boost the Emory lead to 76-72 with 6:02 left but three different Maroons answered with consecutive buckets to push Chicago ahead 78-76 with four minutes to play. Another bucket from Knight had the Eagles leading 86-84 with 40 seconds to play but a layup from Shane Regan with 16 seconds leveled the score. Pearce had a chance to win in regulation as he pulled up at the top of the lane for a game-winning jumper but missed to the right of the rim to send the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Chicago had the early lead at 90-86 but Knight responded with back-to-back baskets to even the score at 90 with three minutes left. The teams traded the next three buckets and the Eagles were able to grab the lead as Pearce and Fauss went 5-for-5 at the line across the final minute. The Maroons had one final opportunity with an inbounds play with 2.2 seconds remaining but Knight intercepted the long pass to clinch the victory.
The Eagles will remain home next week as Brandeis and NYU visit Atlanta. Tip off against the Judges is set for 5:30 PM Friday night at the WoodPEC.
