EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL NAMES WILL ROBERSON ASSISTANT COACH

(July 1, 2008) - Emory University head men's basketball coach Jason Zimmerman has announced the appointment of Will Roberson as assistant coach. Roberson takes over for Matt McKillop who recently accepted an assistant coaching position at Davidson College

Roberson's most recent coaching stint took place during the 2006-07 campaign when he served as a graduate assistant at Clemson University.  During his one year with the Tigers, the program finished with an overall record of 25-11, tying the school record for most wins in a season, and advanced to the championship game of the National Invitation Tournament for the second time in school history.  Clemson opened the '06-07 campaign with a 17-0 won-lost slate and was the last Division I team to lose a game that year.

Prior to his stint at Clemson, Roberson was the head coach at Frederica Academy in St. Simons, GA, where he directed the team to a third-place finish in the GISA Region 2-AA.

Roberson was the director of basketball operations at Davidson College for three seasons (2002-03 through 2004-05) where he had a hand in many facets of the program including scouting opponents, handling travel arrangements and film exchange and serving as team's academic advisor.  Among his other responsibilities were co-directing Head Coach Bob McKillop's basketball camps in the summers.  While Roberson was at Davidson in that capacity, the Wildcats compiled an overall record of 57-31 that included three straight Southern Conference regular-season titles. 

"Will's experience in teaching and coaching student athletes at a variety of levels will be a great addition to our program, Zimmerman said. "His commitment to academic and athletic excellence is a great fit for Emory University and Emory basketball."

Roberson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Davidson in May, 2002. He is married to the former Erica Madden.

A LOOK BACK AT 2007-08

The 2007-08 season marked the initial campaign of the Jason Zimmerman era as head coach of the Emory basketball program and the Eagles turned in a season that, while under .500, laid the foundation for a bright and successful future.

With just one starter returning from the '06-07 team and a host of new faces to call upon, Emory ended the year with a deceptive won-lost record of 10-15, 3-11 in the University Athletic Association, a conference that sent four teams to NCAA Tournament play and that had four teams ranked among the nation's top 25.  Despite battling more experienced and often taller opponents, Emory displayed a tenacious style of basketball that saw it stay within striking distance in numerous outings. Of the 11 setbacks in league games, five were by seven or fewer points with two of those affairs going into overtime.

For the record, Emory's strength of schedule was ranked as the third-most difficult in the nation according to D3hoops.com and second toughest in the Massey Ratings.

Other notable tidbits from the 2007-08 season included:

** Defeating No. 1-ranked Rochester, 81-76 in overtime, before a raucous home crowd on Jan. 25, 2008.  It marked the program's first-ever triumph over the nation's top-ranked team.

** Playing a total of 11 games against six teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. In addition to the eight contests against the four UAA schools that earned berths to the postseason, the Eagles split a pair of games against Maryville College (just one three losses suffered by the Scots all year) and battled No. 12-ranked Guilford and its 7-foot All-American Ben Strong.

** Closed out the 2007 portion of the schedule with a six-game win streak, Emory's longest since the 2002-03 season.

** Led the UAA and finished 46th nationally in scoring offense with a 79.0 points per- game average.  The Eagles also paced the conference in scoring in league affairs with a 76.6 per-game effort.  Zimmerman's up-tempo and aggressive style on the offensive end of the floor resulted in Emory recording three of the UAA's top five single-game point totals in '07-08; 106 vs. Oglethorpe (Dec. 15), 100 vs. Maryville (Dec. 8) and 99 vs. Case Western (Jan. 12).

** Topped the UAA and finished 55th on the national scene with a 73.1 percent mark from the free throw line.  In conference play, the Eagles knocked down a league-leading 73.5 percent from the charity stripe.

** Finished second on the school's seasonal list with 400 free throws, just six shy of the top mark of 406 set during the 1992-93 season.

** Averaged 15.2 assists per game, the highest total since 2001-02 and good for third place on the school's seasonal chart.

Senior Spiros Ferderigos capped off one of the great careers in Emory history in grand style, pacing the team in scoring for the second straight season with an 18.1 per-game average, good for the No. 2 spot on the UAA list.  The 6-foot-1 Ferderigos, garnered a first-team berth on the All-UAA Team and became the first Emory cager to be recognized by the NABC since Tim Garrett (1990) when he was chosen as a Second-Team All-South District Team member.  Ferderigos, the conference's second-leading point producer in league contests (18.0 ppg), scored in double figures in 22 games and posted nine efforts of 20 or more points.  Ferderigos led or shared for the team's scoring lead on 16 occasions including a season-high 32 points against Oglethorpe that ranked as the squad's highest individual point total of the year.  He furthered enhanced his reputation as one of the best all-around players in the UAA by ranking prominently in numerous statistical categories including rebounding (8th, 6.2 rpg), free throw percentage (6th, .789), steals (2nd, 2.04 spg) and offensive rebounds (4th, 2.52 orpg).  He established school seasonal records in both free throws (146) and free throw attempts (183) and chalked up five performances of 10 or more makes from the charity stripe.  His 453 total points in '07-08 ranked him fifth on the Eagles' list while his scoring average of 18.1 per game was good for seventh position. 

Career-wise, Spiros firmly entrenched himself on a bevy of all-time lists at Emory including scoring (2nd, 1630 pts.), scoring average (3rd, 16.6 ppg), field goals (5th, 489), field goal attempts (4th, 1085),  field goal percentage (16th, .451), three-point field goals (5th, 157), three-point percentage (10th, .365), free throws (1st, 495), free throw attempts (1st, 600), free throw percentage (.6th, .825), rebounds (4th, 560 rebs.), rebound average (10th, 5.7 rpg), assists (5th, 288), steals (1st, 201) and steals per game (3rd, 2.1 spg).

After being sidelined with a season-ending injury just nine games into the 2006-07 campaign, Anthony Fernandez bounced back with a memorable campaign that saw him emerge as a consistent scoring threat and hard-nosed rebounder.  More often than not, the 6-foot-3 Fernandez battled taller and more experienced players but still managed to haul down a team-leading 6.6 rebounds per outing, good for sixth place among UAA players.  Fernandez, an honorable-mention pick to the All-UAA Team, led or shared for the club's lead in boards in 11 games and chalked up six double-figure efforts in that category.  Fernandez's offensive game blossomed and saw him average 14.1 points per game, second on the Emory scoresheet and ninth on the UAA chart.  A starter in 23 of the 24 games he saw action in, he scored in double figures in 19 contests and closed out the year by scoring 10 or more points in his last 12 outings including four performances of 20 or more points.  His scoring pace picked up during the conference portion of the schedule with his 16.0 per-game showing placing him fifth on the league's ladder.

Junior John Kresse gave the Eagles a big boost with steady play from his point guard post.  The 6-foot-3 Kresse played in all 25 games, 24 in a starting capacity, and doled out a team-high 4.40 assists per game, good for second place among UAA players.  Kresse was the team's top assists man in 16 games and his season total of 110 tied him for fifth place on the school's seasonal list.  Playing with an increasing amount of savvy every time he took to the court, his 2.16 assist/turnover ratio placed him third in the UAA.  While running the Emory offense with deft precision, he also tossed in 7.1 points while logging 27.6 minutes per game.

Freshman Julien Williams  provided Emory fans an optimistic glimpse of the future after drawing starting assignments in 22 of 23 games and averaging 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds with his board total placing him third on the team and 14th in the UAA.  The explosive 6-foot-2 Williams came through with eight double-figure scoring performances including a season-high 18-point effort against Maryville College on Dec. 8.  The first-year cager also played a big role in the win over No. 1-ranked Rochester with his lone double-double of the season, a 17-point, 12-rebound evening in the 81-76 overtime triumph. 

After seeing sporadic action as a freshman, sophomore sharpshooter Daniel Curtin made the most of his playing time as a key reserve.  Coming off the bench in every Emory game, the 6-foot Curtin wound up third on the team in scoring with an 8.9 points per game average.  His long-range shooting kept opponents off balance and he ended the year shooting a team-best 39.1 percent (45-of-115) from three-point range, good for 11th place among UAA players.  He converted two or more treys in 11 contests including a career-high seven against New York University (Feb. 1), tying for second most in Emory history. Curtin notched double-figure point production in nine games including a pair of 20-plus point efforts.  His 45 three pointers ranked among the top 20 seasonal marks at Emory and his 1.8 treys per game slotted him 10th in the league in '07-08.

Junior Brian Giometti, a transfer from the University of Denver, was another of the reserves who made an impact, averaging 20.6 minutes per stint while playing in all 25 contests.  The 6-foot-1 Giometti gave the Eagles an athletic performer who ranked fourth on the team's scoring list with an 8.2 points per-game average.  He finished with 11 double-figure scoring performances (seven in UAA games) including a season-high 16 points against Case Western on Jan. 12.  Giometti displayed to hit the three-ball as well, knocking down 36.9 percent (38-of-103) from distance and registering 13 outings of two or more three-pointers.

Joining Ferderigos as other members of the Emory senior class were Seth Kramer (Winter Park, FL), Austin DeAngelis (St. Augustine, FL), Claude Pardue, Jr. (Myrtle Beach, SC) and Dan Smith (Weston, FL).  Smith paced the team and finished third in the UAA with a keen mark of 85.9 percent (55-of-64) from the free throw line.  The 5-foot-10 Smith finished his two-year career as the school's career leader with an 88.3 percent showing from the charity stripe (83-of-94).

All-District (South)
Spiros Ferderigos                     Second Team               Oldsmar, FL

All-University Athletic Association
Spiros Ferderigos                     First Team                    Oldsmar, FL
Anthony Fernandez                   Honorable Mention       Miami, FL

UAA Player of the Week
Anthony Fernandez                   (Jan. 28, 2008)             Miami, FL
Spiros Ferderigos                     (Dec. 17, 2007)           Oldsmar, FL

D3hoops.com Team of the Week
Spiros Ferderigos                     (Dec. 10-16, 2007)      Oldsmar, FL
Anthony Fernandez                   (Jan.  21-27, 2008)      Miami, FL

CoSIDA Academic All-District
John Kresse                      Second Team               Charleston, SC

 SPIROS FERDERIGOS EARNS NABC DISTRICT HONORS

(Mar. 24) - Emory University senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) has been recognized by National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) for his outstanding 2007-08 season by earning a berth on the organization's All-District team.

The 6-foot-1 Ferderigos was selected as a second-team member to the All-South District Team, becoming the first Emory player to be recognized by the NABC since 1990 when Tim Garrett was selected to the first team.

Ferderigos, a First Team All-University Athletic Association honoree, enjoyed an excellent all-around season, with his team-high 18.1 points per game average good for the No. 2 spot among UAA players.  Ferderigos, who finished his career as the school's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 1,630 points, registered double-digit scoring in 22 of 25 outings and produced nine contests of 20 or more points.  One of the league's most versatile cagers, he ranked prominently in a number of statistical categories during the regular season including rebounding (8th, 6.2 rpg), free throw percentage (t-6th, .798), field goal percentage (10th, .489), steals (2nd, 2.04 spg) and minutes (10th, 30.12 mpg). He led or shared for the team's scoring lead on 16 occasions and was the squad's top rebounder in seven contests. He registered five double-doubles and led all UAA players with a school-record 146 free throws.  

His 453 total points represented the fifth-highest mark in school history while his 51 steals tied for seventh. 

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL PLACE TWO ON ALL-UAA TEAM

Two members of the 2007-08 Emory University men's basketball squad have been selected to the All-University Athletic Association Team.  The all-league honorees were chosen by the conference coaches.

Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) headlines the duo with a first-team selection while sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) gained an honorable-mention berth. 

The 6-foot-1 Ferderigos enjoyed an excellent all-around season, with his team-high 18.1 points per game average good for the No. 2 spot among UAA players.  Ferderigos, who finished his career as the school's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 1,630 points, registered double-digit scoring in 22 of 25 outings and produced nine contests of 20 or more points.  One of the league's most versatile cagers, he ranked prominently in a number of statistical categories including rebounding (8th, 6.2 rpg), free throw percentage (t-6th, .798), field goal percentage (10th, .489),  steals (2nd, 2.04 spg) and minutes (10th, 30.12 mpg). He led or shared for the team's scoring lead on 16 occasions and was the squad's top rebounder in seven contests. He registered five double-doubles and led all UAA players with a school-record 146 free throws.  His 453 total points represented the fifth-highest mark in school history.

In league games, Ferderigos tossed in 18.0 points per contest, placing him second on the conference ladder.  He held down the No. 7 position in both rebounding (6.3 rpg) and free throw percentage (.778) and tied for third in steals (1.71 spg). Fernandez, 6-foot-3, turned in a breakout campaign that saw him finish No. 2 on the team and No. 9 on the UAA chart in overall scoring with a 14.1 points per game effort.  Despite giving up a height disadvantage in the majority of games, he bulled his way to a mark of 6.6 boards per contest, tops on the squad and seventh in the UAA.  A starter in 23 of the 24 games he saw action in, Fernandez scored in double figures 19 games and turned in four performances of 20 or more points.  He led or shared for the squad's scoring lead in four contests and finished as the Eagles' top board man in 10 outings.

In conference play, Fernandez averaged 16.0 points per game, good for the No. 5 spot on the UAA ladder, while his 48.5 percent mark from the floor ranked him eighth among UAA players.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL DROPS SEASON FINALE AT CASE WESTERN

(Mar. 1) - Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos, playing in his final game, scored a game-high 29 points and sophomore Anthony Fernandez totaled 22 points, but it wasn't enough as Case Western recorded a 96-93 win over the Eagles.  Emory closed out the 2007-08 campaign with an overall mark of 10-15, 3-11 in the University Athletic Association.  Case Western boosted its overall mark to 8-17, 1-13 in the conference.

Both the Eagles and Spartans had their offenses in high gear with Emory shooting 52.2 percent from the floor (36-of-69) and Case knocking down a blistering 61.0 percent (36-of-59).  The Eagles hit 10-of-26 from three-point range (38.5%) while CWRU converted six-of-17 from beyond the arc.  Case Western sank 18-of-26 from the foul line while Emory countered with 11-of-14 from the charity stripe.

Ferderigos scored 23 of his 29 points in the second half and finished the game sinking 11-of-17 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, and five-of-six from the line in registering his 21st double-figure scoring game of the season and ninth of 20 or more points.  Ferderigos also doled out five assists and recorded four steals that enabled him to finish his career in the No. 1 spot on the school's all-time list in that category with 201 thefts.

A jumper by Fernandez gave Emory a 79-73 lead with 7:17 left in the game, but the Spartans rattled off a 7-0 spurt, capped by a three-point play by Conrad Mason, that gave the hosts an 80-79 edge with 4:31 on the clock.  Mason paced the Spartans scoring attack with 26 points, sinking 11-of-14 from the floor and four-of-seven from the foul line.  The Eagles reclaimed the lead, 82-80, when Ferderigos nailed a three-pointer with 4:24 remaining. Ferderigos would score 10 of the team's final 14 points of the contest.

Freshman Julien Williams put Emory ahead, 90-89, with 1:40 left, but CWRU scored the next five points to claim a 94-90 edge with 29 ticks on the clock. Ferderigos buried a three-pointer with 22 seconds left to draw the Eagles to within one point.  A pair of free throws by Brandon Bradford with 21 seconds remaining pushed the Spartans' lead to three points and they were able to withstand a flurry of Emory three-point attempts to come away with the win.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL CLOSES OUT SEASON AT CASE WESTERN
           
GAME FACTS -  The Emory University men's basketball team closes out the 2007-08 season this Saturday (Mar. 1) when it plays at Case Western Reserve University.  The Veale Convocation will be the site of the 32nd meeting between the programs and tip is slated for noon.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Sean McDonnell (Boston College, '96) is in his fifth season as head coach of the Case program.  Prior to his appointment at CWRU, he served as the head coach at Hiram College for three seasons,

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory heads into the final contest of the year looking to snap an eight-game losing streak that has dropped its overall record to 10-14, 3-10 effort in league play. The Eagles came out on the short end of a pair of road games last weekend, 78-70 at Carnegie Mellon and 76-63 at No. 14 Rochester.

Case Western entertains the Eagles with an overall record of 7-17, 0-13 in UAA action.  The Spartans lost at Rochester, 75-56, and Carnegie Mellon, 70-66, last weekend.

SERIES RECORDS -  In a series that began in 1987, Emory holds an all-time mark of 16-15 against Case Western.  Emory won the initial meeting of this season in Atlanta, 99-92.  Senior Spiros Ferderigos and sophomore Anthony Fernandez led the Eagles' scoring attack with 19 points apiece.

FERDERIGOS CLIMBS INTO NO. 2 SPOT ON EMORY'S ALL-TIME SCORING LIST  - In last Sunday's game at Rochester, senior Spiros Ferderigos finished with a team-high 18 points and moved into the No. 2 spot on the school's all-time scoring list. The 6-foot-1 Ferderigos moved ahead of Chase Fawsett's (2001-05) mark of 1,591 points and heads into his final college game with 1,601 points to his credit.  Holding down the No. 1 spot on that list is Tim Garrett (1986-90) with 1,875 points.

EMORY SCHEDULE NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART  -  In this week's listing of strength of schedule among Division III squads, Emory's schedule is ranked as the toughest in the nation according to the Massey Ratings and as the second-most difficult in the nation according to D3hoops.com (http://www.d3hoops.com/salem/08/owp.htm).  The formula is based on opponents' winning percentage as well opponents' opponents' winning percentage. 

FERNANDEZ PUTTING UP NUMBERS  - Sophomore Anthony Fernandez  ran his double-figure scoring streak to 11 games last weekend, registering 16 and 10 points against Carnegie Mellon and Rochester, respectively.  The 6-foot-3 Fernandez has chalked up 18 double-digit scoring performances this year and his 13.7 points per game average in overall play is good for the No. 2 spot on the team and No. 9 position among UAA players.  In conference contests, he is tossing in 15.5 points per effort, sixth on league ladder. 

FURTHER ON FERDERIGOS  - In addition to his ascension to the No. 2 spot on the school's all-time scoring list, Spiros Ferderigos ranks prominently in other Emory career categories.  As he approaches his final game of his memorable career, other school all-time lists he is include free throws (1st, 490), free throw attempts (1st, 594),  scoring average (3rd, 16.5 ppg), rebounds (4th,  557), assists (5th, 282) and free throw percentage (5th , .825). In addition, he is tied with Paul Damm (1986-90) for the No. 1 spot on the school's career chart in steals with 197. Spiros has at least one steal in 22 of the Eagles' 23 games including 14 efforts of two or more.  During his tenure with Emory, Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 82 of 97 career contests.

Through games played Feb. 24, he tops the team and stands No. 3 in the UAA in overall scoring average (17.7 ppg) while holding down the No. 4 position for conference games (17.2 ppg).  He has scored in double figures in 21 games this season and produced eight contests of 20 or more points. In addition, he is seventh in the league in rebounding (6.4 rpg), sixth in free throw percentage (.797) and No. 2 in steals (1.96 spg).

EMORY NOTES -  Emory's bench has outscored the opposition's reserves in each of the last six games and is averaging 29.5 points in that stretch compared to the opponent's 14.8 points ... The Eagles have converted 449 free throws this season, third most in school history, and are four shy of moving into the No. 2 position ...  Emory has converted 73.0 percent of its foul shots this year,  fifth on the school's seasonal ladder ... Through games played Feb. 24, Emory leads the UAA in overall scoring average (78.5 ppg) while its No. 2 conference mark  of 73.0 percent from the charity stripe is good for a
57th-place tie on the national scene ... Freshman Julien Williams registered his eighth double-figure scoring effort of the season when he finished with 10 points against Carnegie Mellon  ... Williams is averaging 5.1 rebounds per contest, good for 15th among UAA players ... Junior Brian Giometti  has scored in double figures in 11 games this season and has posted 13 contests of two or more treys ... Giometti is averaging 1.54 treys per game, 15th on the UAA ladder ... In the last five games, Emory is shooting a keen 80.0 percent from the foul line (72-of-90) ... Sophomore Daniel Curtin ranks 13th in three-point field goal percentage (.389) and 11th in three pointers per game (1.75 tpg) ... The Eagles have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in eight games this season vs. six times in '06-07 ... In its 10 victories, the Eagles have outrebounded the opposition by a 39.9-32.7 margin while showing a 36.4-34.2 deficit in their 10 setbacks ... Emory is shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and averaging 90.3 points in its 10 wins while shooting 40.3 percent and averaging 70.0 points in its defeats  ...Emory has an 8-4 ledger in games when it has outrebounded the opposition ...  Junior John Kresse  finds himself tied for the No. 2 spot in the UAA in both assists (4.29 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (+2.10) ... In conference games only, Kresse is dishing out a league best 4.92 assists per contest and ranks second in assist/turnover ratio (+2.91) ... The Eagles have had players score in double figures on 83 occasions vs. 79 for the opposition.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TOPPED BY NO. 14 ROCHESTER - FERDERIGOS MOVES INTO No. 2 SPOT ON EMORY'S CAREER SCORING LIST

(Feb. 24) - Facing a 21-point deficit early in the second half, the Emory men's basketball team mounted a determined rally but fell short in the comeback as No. 14-ranked Rochester recorded a 76-63 win Sunday afternoon.  The win upped Rochester's record to 19-4, 8-5 in the University Athletic Association while Emory fell to 10-14 in overall action, 3-10 in the conference.

Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos led the rally that saw the Eagles draw to within nine points on five occasions in the second half, scoring 16 of his team-high 18 points over the final 20 minutes of action. In the process, Ferderigos moved into the No. 2 spot on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,601 points.  He passed Chase Fawsett's career effort of 1,591 set from 2001-05.  Freshman Julien Williams and sophomore Anthony Fernadez each totaled double digits in scoring with 10 points apiece. 

The Yellowjackets shot 52.6 percent from the floor (30-of-57) in the game and drained 10 three-point field goals.  Emory finished the contest connecting on 39 percent (21-of-54) of its field goal opportunities. Rochester posted a 32-27 edge in rebounding.

Rochester held a 46-25 lead with 17:33 remaining in the contest before the Eagles began to whittle away at the gap. A three-pointer by senior Dan Smith drew Emory to within 13 points, 51-38, with 12:07 left on the clock while a three-pointer by Ferderigos cut the deficit to nine points, 56-47, with 8:43 to go. The Eagles would cut the margin to nine points on four more occasions, the last time being 64-55 with 3:28 remaining following a pair of charity tosses by Fernandez.

"Our team competed hard but the margin for error in this league is slim," head coach Jason Zimmerman said. "Playing without Spiros for a long period during the first half made that margin even slimmer. In the second half we made the game manageable but we couldn't seem to break that nine-point barrier.

"Rochester is very talented both inside and outside and it is more difficult to contest the outside shooters when its inside game is strong."

Rochester senior Rob Dominiak led all scorers with 20 points, hitting seven-of-12 from the floor, including six-of-10 from beyond the arc.  Junior Mike Chmielowiec chipped in 16 points.

Rochester shot 55 percent in the first half, knocking down 16-of-29 from the field.  The Yellowjackets also drained six three-point field goals during the opening 20 minutes of action and also enjoyed a 16-10 edge on the glass.  The Eagles hit just 34.7 percent (8-of-23) from the floor and were hampered by 10 turnovers.

Emory trailed by three points, 22-19, following a three pointer by junior Malick Valliani but three consecutive three-pointers by Dominiak keyed a 19-2 explosion over the final seven minutes of the stanza allowing the hosts to take a 41-22 lead at halftime.  Dominiak picked up 12 points in the first half while Chmielowiec added seven points. 

Emory closes out the year next Saturday (Mar. 1) with a game at Case Western Reserve.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL EDGED BY CARNEGIE MELLON

(Feb. 22) -  Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos totaled a game-high 25 points and almost rallied the Eagles from a double-digit deficit in the second half Friday evening, but his effort fell short as Carnegie Mellon held on for a 78-70 win.  The loss dropped Emory's overall record to 10-13, 3-9 in the University Athletic Association.  With the victory, Carnegie Mellon upped its record to 15-8 overall, 5-7 in the UAA.

Ferderigos converted 10-of-18 from the field, including a season-high five-of-seven from three-point range, in recording his 20th double-figure scoring effort of the year and eighth of 20 or more points.  Sophomore Anthony Fernandez ended the contest as the Eagles' other double-digit producer with 16 points while snagging a team-best eight rebounds.

Neither team cracked the 40 percent mark from the field with the host Tartans converting 39.7 percent (27-of-68) compared to Emory's 39.1 percent (25-of-64).  The Tartans sank 21-of-27 from the foul line while Emory hit 14-of-19.  Carnegie won the turnover battle, losing the ball on miscues on seven occasions while the Eagles finished with 14 turnovers.

Emory trailed by a 52-41 margin with 14:17 remaining in the contest before posting an 11-2 spurt, sparked by four points from Ferderigos and senior Austin DeAngelis,  that brought it to within two points with 10:24 on the clock.  CMU senior Greg Gonzalez accounted for four points in an ensuing 8-1 burst by the Tartans that increased their advantage to nine points, 62-53, with 6:21 on the clock.  CMU still held a 10-point cushion, 68-58, before five points from Ferderigos and a pair from Fernandez cut the gap to five points with 1:48 remaining.  However, CMU was able to withstand the comeback bid by the Eagles.  Gonzalez finished with 23 points and a game-high 14 rebounds to spark the CMU attack.

During the opening 20 minutes of action, Emory shot 46.9 percent from the floor (15-of-32) while Carnegie Mellon hit on 40 percent (14-of-35).  Ferderigos was perfect from the field in the first half, sinking all five of his floor attempts, including three three-point opportunities in totaling 13 points.  The Eagles led by as many as eight points, 22-14, following a basket by sophomore Anthony Fernandez with 9:13 left in the stanza.  However, CMU responded with a 16-4 run, key by six points by Gonzales, to take a 30-26 lead with 6:16 on the clock.  Emory tied the game at 32-32 with 4:21 remaining following a baseline jumper by junior Malick Valliani, but CMU closed out the stanza on an 8-3 run to claim a 40-35 edge at halftime.  Gonzalez led the Tartans' first-half offensive effort with 13 points.

Emory returns to action on Sunday (Feb. 24) when it plays at the University of Rochester in a noon start.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL PREPARES FOR ROAD GAMES vs.
CARNEGIE MELLON AND ROCHESTER
           
GAME FACTS -  With three games left on the docket, the Emory University men's basketball team heads into the home stretch of its season this weekend when it prepares for a pair of University Athletic Association road contests.  On Friday, the Eagles invade Skibo Gymnasium on the Carnegie Mellon campus for an 8:00 p.m. tip before venturing to the Louis Alexander Palestra at the University of Rochester on Sunday in a noon start.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Now in his 18th campaign as head coach at Carnegie Mellon, Tony Wingen (Springfield College, '82) claims a school record of 204-239.  In 20 campaigns as a head coach, which includes a two-year stint at the University of the South (1988-89 thru 1989-90), Wingen claims a career mark of 225-267 heading into the weekend.

Mike Neer (Washington & Lee, '70) is in his 31st season as head coach at Rochester. Heading into a Friday affair at Case Western Reserve, Neer has compiled a won-lost record of 509-297, and directed the Yellowjackets to a total of 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.  

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory starts the weekend looking to snap a six-game losing streak that has dropped its overall record to 10-12, 3-8 effort in league play. The Eagles
wound up the home portion of their schedule last weekend, coming out on the wrong end of an 87-73 decision to the University of Chicago on Friday before dropping a hard-fought 78-71 overtime verdict to then No. 7-ranked Washington University on Sunday.

Carnegie Mellon will play host to the Eagles with an overall record of 14-8, 4-7 in UAA action.  Last weekend, the Tartans won at NYU, 68-60, before dropping an 84-81 decision at Brandeis. CMU stands 7-2 this year in games played on its home floor.  

Heading into a Friday game against Case Western, the University of Rochester is ranked No. 14 in the nation by D3hoops.com, and stands 17-5 in overall play while claiming a conference-leading mark of 6-5.  The Yellowjackets have dropped their last three contests including a pair of road games last weekend, 68-64 to Brandeis and 92-85 in double overtime against NYU.

SERIES RECORDS -  In a series that began in 1987, Emory holds an all-time mark of 24-16 against Carnegie Mellon.  The Eagles won the first meeting this season, 89-85, in Atlanta with sophomore Anthony Fernandez leading the way with 23 points and eight rebounds.  The Tartans have won the last six meetings on their home floor and stand 13-7 against Emory.

In a series that has its origins in 1988, Rochester stands 26-15 against Emory.  The Eagles recorded an 81-76 overtime decision against then-ranked No. 1 Rochester earlier this year in Atlanta with senior Spiros Ferderigos notching 22 points in the win.  Rochester has claimed victories in 16 or 20 contests played on its home court including the last six encounters.

FERDERIGOS & FERNANDEZ TEAM UP FOR DOUBLE-DOUBLE  - Senior Spiros Ferderigos and sophomore Anthony Fernandez each posted a double-double in last Sunday's game against Washington University with Ferderigos totaling 17 points and 12 rebounds en route to his fifth double-double of the campaign and Fernandez chalking up 12 points along with a season-high tying 12 boards in notching his third.

It marked the second time this season the pair each finished with a double-double in the same contest.  Back on December 15, Ferderigos came up with a season-high 32 points and 12 rebounds while Fernandez finished with 13 points and 12 boards in a 106-89 triumph over Oglethorpe University.

EMORY SCHEDULE RANKED AS TOUGHEST -  In this week's listing of strength of schedule among Division III squads, Emory's schedule is ranked as the most difficult in the nation.  The formula is based on opponents' winning percentage as well opponents' opponents' winning percentage.  The information can be obtained by going to the following link --   http://www.d3hoops.com/salem/08/owp.htm

DeANGELIS SOLID OFF BENCH - Senior Austin DeAngelis,  one of five Emory players who were making their final home appearance in Sunday's game against Washington University, gave the Eagles some solid play off the bench.  The 6-foot DeAngelis logged 17 minutes worth of action, tying his third-longest stint of the campaign, and registered a season-high five points while contributing a pair of assists and steals.  His contributions helped the Emory reserves finish with a 25-5 scoring edge against the Bears' subs.

FERDERIGOS MARCHES ON - Senior Spiros Ferderigos totaled 39 points last weekend and in the process raised his career total to 1,561, good for the No. 3 spot on the school's all-time list.  With three games left on the schedule, he is 31 points shy of moving past Chase Fawsett (2001-05) into the No. 2 spot on that list. Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 80 of 95 career contests.

As for other Emory career rankings, he is first in free throws (487), first in free throw attempts (591), third in scoring average (16.4 ppg), fifth in rebounds (549), assists (280) and free throw percentage (.824, 487-591) and second in steals with 194, just three thefts shy of tying Paul Damm's (1986-90) first-place mark of 197.  Spiros has at least one steal in 20 of the Eagles' 22 games including 13 contests of two or more. 

Through games played Feb. 17, he tops the team and stands No. 3 in the UAA in overall scoring average (17.5 ppg) while holding down the No. 4 position for conference games (16.6 ppg).  He has scored in double figures in 19 games this season and produced seven contests of 20 or more points. In addition, he is tied for sixth in the league in rebounding (6.5 rpg), sixth in free throw percentage (.793) and No. 2 in steals (2.00 spg).

EMORY NOTES -  Emory's bench has outscored the opposition's reserves in each of the last four games and is averaging 34.3 points in that stretch compared to the opponent's 15.3 points ... The Eagles have converted 422 free throws this season, seventh most in school history and are 17 shy of moving into the No. 3 position ... Emory has converted 72.8 percent of its foul shots this year, fifth on the school's seasonal ladder ... Through games played Feb. 17, Emory leads the UAA and is tied for 46th nationally in scoring average (79.5 ppg) while its conference-leading 72.8 percent mark from the charity stripe is good for a 59th-place tie on the national scene ... Freshman Julien Williams registered his seventh double-figure scoring effort of the season when he finished with 10 points against Chicago ... Williams is averaging 5.3 rebounds per contest, good for 15th among UAA players ... Junior Brian Giometti continued his offensive production off the bench against the Bears of Wash. U., registering 11 points, his 11th double-digit performance of the year ... Giometti drained three three-point field goals in the game, his sixth straight and 13th performance of two or treys this season ...  Giometti ranks 29th among UAA players in scoring average (8.6 ppg) and is 12th in three-point percentage (.396) ... In the last three games, Emory is shooting a keen 81.8 percent from the foul line (45-of-55) ... After being outrebounded by a 41-28 margin in the first game against Washington Univ., Emory finished with a 45-35 edge in Sunday's contest, the biggest differential for the Eagles in a conference game this season ... Sophomore Daniel Curtin ranks among the top 30 scorers in the UAA (27th, 9.5 ppg) and is tied for 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.398) ... The Eagles have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in eight games this season vs. six times in 25 contests a year ago ... In its 10 victories, the Eagles have outrebounded the opposition by a 39.9-32.7 margin while showing a 36.2-34.2 deficit in their 10 setbacks ... Emory is shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and averaging 90.3 points in its 10 wins while shooting 40.5 percent and averaging 70.6 points in its 12 losses ...Emory has an 8-4 ledger in games when it has outrebounded the opposition ... Anthony Fernandez heads into the weekend with a team-high nine game double-figure scoring streak ... Fernandez paced the Eagles' scoring attack with a career-best 24 points against Chicago, his 16th double-digit effort of the year and third of 20 or more points ... Through games played Feb. 17, the 6-foot-3 Fernandez stands No. 2 on the squad and ninth among UAA players in scoring average (13.8) ... He has been the team's top scorer in four games this year while pacing the squad in rebounds on nine occasions ... Junior John Kresse (Charleston, SC) finds himself tied for the No. 2 spot in the UAA in assists (4.32 apg) and is No. 3 in assist/turnover ratio (+2.11) ... In conference games only, Kresse is dishing out a league best 5.09 assists per contest and ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (+3.11) ... The Eagles have had players score in double figures on 78 occasions vs. 74 for the opposition ... Emory is averaging a league-best 19.2 free throws per game and also pace the conference with 26.4 attempts per contest.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL EDGED BY NO. 7 RANKED WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY  

(Feb. 17) - Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos, playing in his final home game, totaled 17 points and 12 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season, as the Eagles battled No. 7-ranked into overtime before coming out on the short end of a 78-71 decision.  The win upped Washington University's record to 18-4, 9-2 in the University Athletic Association, while Emory slipped to 10-12 in overall action, 3-8 in the conference.

The scored was tied at 61-61 at the conclusion of regulation and the visiting Bears hit four-of-five field goal attempts and eight-of-12 from the foul line in outscoring Emory by a 17-10 margin. The Eagles hit just one-of-nine field goal opportunities in the extra session, though it did stay in the game on the strength of eight-of-eight free throw shooting.

Emory sophomore Anthony Fernandez aided in the effort by picking up 12 points and a season-high tying 12 rebounds, his third double-double of the year and fifth performance of double-digit boards.  Junior Brian Giometti scored all 11 of his points in the second half while freshman Julien Williams rounded out Emory's double-figure scorers with 10 points.

After the teams battled to a 28-28 standoff after the opening 20 minutes of play, the Bears went on a 10-2 run to open the second half and take a 38-30 advantage with 14:40 remaining. However, the Eagles responded with an impressive 17-4 spurt over the next five minutes to take a 47-42 lead with 9:40 left on the clock.  Giometti was a spark in the onslaught, hitting a pair of three-point field goals, while Williams scored the last six points of the run, with four points coming on a pair of highlight-type dunks.

A basket by Fernandez kept the Eagles ahead by a 51-48 count with 6:58 remaining, but Washington scored the game's next seven points to claim a 55-51 lead with 4:58 left.  Emory hung in and tied the game with 2:27 on the clock when Giometti knocked down his third trey of the contest.  After a basket by WU's Tyler Nading  enabled the Bears to retake the lead with 2:03 left, Emory tied things up again with 42 ticks on the left after Spiros Ferderigos converted a pair of foul shots.   Giometti blocked an ensuing Washington shot attempt and the Eagles had the opportunity to win the game in regulation but could not convert its opportunity.

In the overtime, the Bears scored first and never trailed.  Holding a one-point advantage with 2:32 left, the visitors used a decisive 7-0 run, keyed by a three-pointer by Cameron Thompson, to push its margin to eight points.  Senior Troy Ruths led the winners with a game-high 24 points while junior Tyler Nading chipped in 19 points.

Emory returns to action next Friday evening (Feb. 22) with a road game at Carnegie Mellon.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TOPPED BY CHICAGO  

(Feb. 15) - Emory sophomore Anthony Fernandez scored a career-high 24 points and senior Spiros Ferderigos totaled 22 points, but it wasn't enough as the University of Chicago used a blistering three-point shooting attack in recording an 87-73 win over the Eagles Friday evening.  The win upped Chicago's record to 14-7 in overall action, 7-3 in University Athletic Association action.  The setback dropped the Eagles' overall slate to 10-11, 3-7 in the league.

Chicago drained 68.2 percent of its three-point field goal attempts, converting 15-of-22 from beyond the arc, including nine-of-12 during the second half.  For the game, the Maroons hit on 53.1 percent of their field goal attempts (26-of-49), while Emory finished with a 43.3 percent effort (26-of-60).

Fernandez scored 12 points in each half and ended the contest converting eight-of-14 from the floor and seven-of-eight from the charity stripe en route to his 15th double-figure scoring performance of the year and third of 20 or more points. Ferderigos hit on nine-of-19 from the field and three-of-five from the foul line in registering his seventh outing of 20 more points of the season.  He also snagged a team-high 10 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the campaign.

After trailing by a 37-34 margin at halftime, Emory scored the opening five points in the second half to take a 39-37 less than a minute into the stanza.  The Maroons regrouped and held a 48-44 advantage with 13:50 left on the clock following a basket by Fernandez. Chicago then stretched its lead with a 19-8 run over the next six minutes, keyed by three three-point field goals, two coming from Matt Corning, to go up by a 67-52 count with 7:48 remaining.  From there, the closest Emory would get was eight points.

"We have stretches where we play well, and we have to keep those stretches longer in their duration," Emory Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said.  "We can't afford to have good stretches followed by segments of the game where we don't defend well or pay attention to details."

Emory returns to action on Sunday (Feb. 17) when it hosts Washington University in a noon tip.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL WINDS UP HOME PORTION OF SCHEDULE
AGAINST CHICAGO AND WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
           
(Feb. 14) -- GAME FACTS -  The Emory University men's basketball team winds up the home portion of the schedule this weekend when it welcomes a pair of University Athletic Association foes into the Woodruff PE Center.  On Friday, the Eagles battle the University of Chicago in an 8:00 p.m. start before taking on nationally ranked Washington University on Sunday (Feb. 17) in a noon tip.

Friday's contest will be Senior Night with Emory recognizing the five-member senior class of Spiros Ferderigos, Seth Kramer, Dan Smith, Austin DeAngelis and Claude Pardue, Jr.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Now in his ninth campaign as head coach at the University of Chicago, Mike McGrath (DePauw, '92) checks into Friday's action with a school and career record of 147-79.   He was tabbed as the 2006-07 UAA Coach of the Year after guiding the team to an overall record of 20-6 and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Mark Edwards (Washington University, '69) is in his 27th season as head coach at Washington University.  Heading into a Friday game at Case Western Reserve, Edwards has compiled a won-lost record of 468-231 which includes a 218-68 effort in UAA play.  He has guided the program to nine seasons of 20 or more wins and has 12 NCAA Tournament appearances to his credit.

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory starts the weekend looking to snap a four-game losing streak that has dropped its overall record to 10-10, 3-6 in league play. The Eagles dropped a pair of road games last weekend, 90-85 in overtime to No.10 Brandeis and 76-69 to New York University

Chicago comes to town the owners of a 13-7 overall slate, 6-3 in UAA affairs which is good for a three-way tie for second place.  Last weekend, the Maroons dropped a 64-63 decision to No. 3 Rochester, before bouncing back to post a 97-78 triumph over Carnegie Mellon.

Washington University is ranked No. 7 in the nation by D3hoops.com and stands 16-4 in overall play while claiming a conference-leading mark of 7-2.  The Bears topped Carnegie Mellon, 79-68, and Rochester, 54-53, last weekend.

SERIES RECORDS -  The all-time series between Emory and Washington University began in 1988 and the Bears hold a 33-8 record against the Eagles.  Washington has won the last four meetings between the schools including an 83-65 verdict earlier this season in Saint Louis. The Bears have compiled a 14-6 effort against the Eagles in games played on Emory's home floor.

In a series that has its origins in 1987, Chicago stands 29-13 against Emory.  The Maroons have won the last five meetings including a 91-65 decision in this year's initial clash. Chicago has captured 11 of 20 contests played on Emory's home court. `          

GIOMETTI A SPARK OFF THE BENCH  - Junior Brian Giometti came off the bench and scored 12 points in games against Brandies and NYU last weekend, giving him double-figure point production in five of his last six outings.  The 6-foot-1 Giometti has seen action as a reserve in 19 of Emory's 20 games and has registered 10 performances of double-digit point production.  Against the Violets of NYU, he converted a season-high tying four-of-six from three-point range, the 11th time this year he totaled two or more treys in a game.

In his last five performances, Giometti is averaging 10.8 points while shooting at a 51.4 percent clip (19-of-37) from the floor, including 50 percent (11-of-22) from beyond the arc. Overall, his 8.6 points per game average ranks him 29th among UAA players while his 41.3 percent showing (31-of-75) from three-point range places him 12th on the UAA ladder.

FERNANDEZ MAKES HIS POINTS - Sophomore Anthony Fernandez  enters the final home weekend of the year with a team-high seven straight games of double-figure scoring.  Last weekend, the 6-foot-3 Fernandez totaled 10 points against Brandeis before putting up 13 points against NYU.  Fernandez, a starter in all 19 games he has seen action in, has chalked up 14 performances of double-figure scoring and he holds down the No. 2 spot on the team and 11th position on the UAA chart in scoring average (13.4 ppg). 

In the rebounding department, he tops the team and is seventh among conference players with a 6.5 per-game average.   He has either led or shared for team honors in rebounding on eight occasions.

FERDERIGOS CRACKS 1,500 CAREER POINT PLATEAU - Senior Spiros Ferderigos cracked the 1,500-career point plateau last Friday with his 19-point performance against Brandeis.  Ferderigos totaled 27 points in the contests against the Judges and NYU and checks into this weekend's outing with 1,522 points to his credit, good for the No. 3 spot on the school's all-time chart.

As for other Emory career rankings, he is first in free throws (474), fifth in rebounds (528) and fifth in assists (276).

Through games played Feb. 10, he tops the team and stands No. 3 in the UAA in overall scoring average (17.3 ppg) while holding down the No. 4 position for conference games (16.0 ppg).  He has scored in double figures in 17 games this season and produced six contests of 20 or more points. In addition to those standings, he is tied for ninth in the league in rebounding (6.1 rpg), sixth in free throw percentage (.788) and tied for No. 1 in steals (2.00 spg).

EMORY NOTES -  Senior Seth Kramer (Winter Park, FL) totaled 14 points, his second-highest career total and career best for a conference game at Brandeis ... It marked his third double-figure scoring effort of the campaign ... The Eagles turned the ball over a season-low eight times in the NYU contest ... Emory has been shooting well from beyond the arc in its last three games, draining 45.5 percent of its attempts (25-of-55) in that stretch ... Sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) knocked down a career-best eight-of-12 from the floor, including four-of-eight from three-point land, en route to a team-high 20 points vs. NYU, his second-highest career total and ninth double-figure game of the campaign ... Curtin has a team-high 40 treys this season and his 41.7 percentage from distance places him 11th among UAA cagers while his 2.0 treys per game is good for a ninth-place tie ...  In his last five games, junior John Kresse (Charleston, SC) has dished out 31 assists while registering just six turnovers in 28.8 minutes per contest ... Kresse leads the UAA in assists in overall play (4.35 apg) and is No. 3 in assist/turnover ratio (+2.18) ... Emory shot 50.8 percent from the field against Brandeis, the fifth time in conference play  that it had reached that mark ... The Eagles head into the weekend No. 2 in the UAA in free throw shooting (.723) ... Freshman Julien Williams (Potomac, MD) came through with his sixth double-figure scoring effort of the season with 13 points vs. Brandeis while also coming up with a team-high nine rebounds, the fifth time in '07-08 that he led or shared for team honors in that category ... Through games played Feb. 10, Williams ranks 14th among UAA players in overall rebounding (5.4 rpg) ... Through games played Feb. 10, Emory ranks first in the UAA and 34th nationally in scoring offense (80.4  ppg) ... The Eagles have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in eight games this season vs. six times in 25 contests a year ago ... In its 10 victories, the Eagles have outrebounded the opposition by a 39.9-32.7 margin while showing a 36.8-33.6 deficit in their 10 setbacks ... Emory is shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and averaging 90.3 points in its 10 wins while shooting 40.5 percent and averaging 70.3 points in its 10 losses ...Emory has an 8-3 ledger in games when it has outrebounded the opposition ... Ferderigos has 190 career thefts to his credit,  No. 2 all-time at Emory, and trails only Paul Dam's (1986-90)  No. 1 mark of 197 ... Spiros has at least one steal in 19 of the Eagles' 20 games including 13 contests of two or more ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 78 of 93 career contests ... The Eagles have players score in double figures on 72 occasions vs. 66 for the opposition ... Emory has made 391 free throws this year, the ninth-highest single-season total in school history ... The Eagles are averaging a league-best 19.5 free throws per game and also pace the conference with 27.1 attempts per contest.

EMORY SCHEDULE RANKED AS THIRD TOUGHEST -  In this week's listing of strength of schedule among Division III squads, Emory's schedule is ranked as the third most difficult in the nation.  The formula is based on opponents' winning percentage as well opponents' opponents' winning percentage.  The information can be obtained by going to the following link --   http://www.d3hoops.com/salem/08/owp.htm.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL DROPS ROAD DECISION TO NYU

(Feb. 10) -  Emory sophomore Daniel Curtin totaled 20 points to lead three double-figure scorers, but the Eagles fell victim to a hot-shooting New York University team Sunday afternoon as the Violets posted a 76-69 win.  The win raised NYU's record to 14-6 in overall action, 5-4 in the University Athletic Association.  The loss dropped Emory's overall mark to 10-10, 3-6 in league outings.

NYU trailed by two points at halftime but shot 80 percent from the floor (16-of-20) and from three-point range (8-of-10) over the final 20 minutes of action in picking up the triumph. Leading the way for host NYU was Keith Jensen, who drained eight-of-14 from the field, including five-of-11 from beyond the arc, en route to a game-high 23 points.  Charlie Parker chipped in 16 points.

In a closely played first half that featured both seven ties and lead changes, Emory received 10 points from Curtin in claiming a 30-28 halftime advantage.  Junior Malick Valliani sank a pair of free throws with three seconds left in the opening half that snapped a 28-28 deadlock.  The Eagles shot 50 percent from the floor (10-of-20) in the opening stanza while NYU converted 42.6 percent (11-of-26) of its opportunities.

A basket by sophomore Anthony Fernandez at the start of the second half gave the Eagles a 32-28 edge, however the Violets rattled off nine unanswered points to take a 37-32 lead with 16:49 left on the clock.  After a pair of free throws by Spiros Ferderigos drew the Eagles to within three points, NYU went on a decisive 11-0 run, keyed by three-pointers by Jensen, Parker and Zach Kuby, to take a commanding 48-34 cushion with 12:54 remaining.

Curtin hit eight-of-12 from the floor, including four-of-eight from three-point range, in registering his second-highest career total.  Fernandez finished with 13 points, his 14th double-digit performance of the campaign, while Brian Giometti hit four-of-six from three-point range in totaling 12 points.

For the game, NYU shot 58.7 percent from the floor (27-of-46) while the Eagles finished at 47.8 percent (22-of-46).  Both squads shot well from distance with Emory chalking up a 42.3 percent (11-of-26) effort and NYU an even 50 percent (12-of-24).

Emory returns to action next Friday (Feb. 15) when it hosts the University of Chicago in an 8:00 p.m. start.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL FALLS IN OVERTIME TO NO. 10 BRANDEIS

(Feb. 8) -  Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos totaled 19 points and Seth Kramer added 14 but it wasn't enough as the Eagles came out on the short end of a tough 90-85 overtime decision to No. 10-ranked Brandeis Friday evening.  The win boosted Brandeis' record to 15-4 overall (5-3 UAA) while Emory saw its record drop to 10-9 (3-5 UAA).

Emory shot 50.8 percent from the floor in the game (33-of-65), including 50 percent from three-point range (8-of-16), while Brandeis finished with a 50 percent effort (27-of-54) from the field. Emory held a 35-28 edge in rebounding and was led in that department by freshman Julien Williams with nine boards while also chipping in 13 points.  Other double-figure Emory point producers included Brian Giometti with 12 points and Anthony Fernandez with 10.

Joe Coppens of Brandeis led all scorers with 23 points while Terrell Hollins contributed 17 points.

Emory held a 67-62 lead with 4:35 left in regulation following a basket by Fernandez. A three-pointer by the Judges' Joe Coppens capped a 9-2 spurt by the hosts and put them up by a 71-68 count with 2:59 on the clock.  Emory drew to within 73-72 following a bucket by Brian Giometti but Coppens countered with a basket with 1:16 left on the clock to push Brandeis' edge back to three points.  After Ferderigos calmly sank a pair of free throws with 35 ticks on the clock  to narrow the gap to one point, Giometti knocked down a clutch three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining to give Emory a 77-75 edge.  With time winding down, BU's Andre Roberson was fouled shooting a three-point shot.  Roberson converted his first two from the charity stripe before misfiring on the third attempt that forced the extra session.

In the extra session, Brandeis scored nine of its 13 points from the foul line with Andre Roberson sinking four and Coppens three.  The Judges never trailed in during the overtime frame.  Fernandez picked up four points in overtime for Emory.

Emory returns to action on Sunday (Feb. 10) when it plays at New York University in a noon start.

EMORY'S JOHN KRESSE NAMED  SECOND TEAM ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT  

(Feb. 8) - Emory University junior John Kresse (Charleston, SC), a key member of the Eagles' basketball squad, has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Men's Basketball Team.  Kresse was a second-team selection for District 3 in the College Division.  The College Division consists of colleges and universities from NCAA Divisions II, and III and the NAIA.

The honor is awarded annually to student athletes who have excelled both academically and athletically.  To be eligible, a nominee must have reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at his/her current institution, carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.2 or higher (on a 4.0 scale) and be a starter or key reserve.

The 6-foot-1 Kresse majors in English and maintains a 3.86 grade-point average.  He has been a solid contributor on the court, starting all 18 Emory contests to date and averaging 7.9 points while doling out a team-high 4.17 assists per game, good for a second-place tie among UAA players through games played Feb. 3.  Kresse has produced six double-figure scoring contests and is shooting 54.9 percent from the floor (50-of-91). In addition, he holds down the No. 4 position in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (+2.03).

Voting for the Academic All-District team is conducted by the College Sports Information Directors of America.  District 3 is composed of NCAA institutions in the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.  

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL PREPARES FOR UAA ROAD GAMES vs.
BRANDEIS & NYU

GAME FACTS -  Coming off a four-game homestand, the Emory University men's basketball team begins the second half portion of the University Athletic Association schedule this weekend with a pair of road games.  On Friday (Feb. 8), the Eagles meet Brandeis University in a 6:00 p.m. start before closing out the weekend with a Sunday tilt at New York University beginning at noon.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Joe Nesci (Brooklyn College, '79) is in his 20th season as head coach at NYU.  During his tenure, he has compiled a won-lost record of 348-160 and directed the Violets to 18 winning seasons and 12 postseason appearances.  

In his fifth campaign as head coach at Brandeis University is Brian Meehan (Clark University, '86).  Last year, Meehan guided the Judges to an overall record of 20-7, the program's third straight winning campaign. He is in his 12th year as a head coach overall, having served in that capacity for seven seasons at Salem State College.  

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory invades Brandeis sporting an overall record of 10-8 including a 3-4 effort in league play. The Eagles dropped a pair of hotly contested home games last weekend, 78-71 to NYU and 89-81 to then No. 9-ranked Brandeis.

Brandeis, ranked No. 10 in the nation by D3hoops.com, hosts Emory with an overall record of 14-4 including a 4-3 effort in conference games.  Before topping Emory last Sunday, the Judges won at Case Western Reserve, 90-75.  Brandeis has a 5-2 mark in home games this season.

NYU heads into a Friday evening affair against Case Western with a 12-6 overall effort, 3-4 in the UAA.  After emerging with a victory over Emory, the Violets ventured to Cleveland and registered a 79-67 triumph against Case.

SERIES RECORDS -  NYU's win at Emory last weekend upped its all-time record against the Eagles to 28-14.  In games played on the Violets' home floor, they stand 15-6 against Emory.  

In a series that saw the first game played in 1988, Brandeis holds a slim 22-19 advantage over the Eagles.  The Judges have captured 13 of the 20 meetings played on their home court.  Overall, Brandeis has won the last nine games in the series.

KRESSE DIRECTING EMORY OFFENSE  - Junior John Kresse continued his steady play last weekend, averaging 8.5 points, 7.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds in games against NYU and No. 9-ranked Brandeis.  The 6-foot-1 Kresse dished out a career-high nine assists against NYU and followed that effort with 13 points, his sixth double-figure effort of the season, and six assists (zero turnovers) in a season-long tying 34 minutes against Brandeis. 

In his last three outings, John has registered 19 assists and just three turnovers which has help him to a No. 4 ranking among UAA players in assist/turnover ratio (+2.03). 

In addition, he leads the squad and is No. 2 in the conference in assists (4.17 apg) in overall games and claims the top spot in league contests (5.17 apg).  He has either led or shared for team honors in assists on nine occasions this year.

FERNANDEZ BATTLES ON THE BOARDS - Sophomore Anthony Fernandez  led Emory in rebounding in both games last weekend, snatching nine boards against NYU and 11 against Brandeis, his fourth double-figure performance of the campaign.  The 6-foot-3 frontliner has been the Eagles' leader on the glass in the last three games, averaging 9.3 caroms in that stretch.

Despite often giving up a height disadvantage (he is the shortest player among the league's top 8 rebounders), Fernandez ranks fifth among UAA cagers in overall rebounding with a 6.9 per-game average.  He has been the Eagles' top board man in seven contests.

Offensively, Anthony has made his mark, holding down the No. 2 spot on the team and the 11th position on the UAA scoring ladder with a 13.6 per-game effort.  Fernandez has notched double digits in points in his last five and in a total of 12 games this season. In league affairs, he is averaging 16.7 points, good for the third spot on the conference chart.

FERDERIGOS CONTINUES MARCH - After seeing a 12-game double-figure scoring streak come to a halt in the NYU game, senior Spiros Ferderigos bounced back with a team-high 20-point performance against Brandeis, his sixth contest of 20 or more points this year. Through games played Feb. 3, Ferderigos in No. 3 in the UAA in scoring (17.7 ppg) in overall play and is No. 4 in league outings (16.2).

The team leader in scoring in 11 games, Ferderigos moved into the No. 3 position on the school's all-time scoring list in the Brandeis game and starts the weekend with 1,495 points.  In addition to his point total, he is all-time leader at Emory in free throws (466), seventh in rebounds (518) and fifth in assists (273).

A glance at the UAA statistics reveal that Ferderigos is tied for ninth in overall rebounding (6.3 rpg), sixth in free throw percentage (.808), and No. 2 in steals (2.06 spg).

EMORY NOTES -  Emory shot 53.7 percent from the field against NYU, the fourth time in conference play  that it had connected on 50 percent or better from the floor ....  Sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) drained seven three-point field goals in the NYU game, tying the second-highest single-game total in school history ... Curtin ranks 12th among UAA performances in three-point field goal percentage (.412) and is ninth in treys per game (1.94) ... Emory converted a season-high 13 three-pointers against NYU, tying the fifth-highest single-game standard in school history ... In its last three contests, Emory is shooting 75.2 percent from the foul line (67-of-89) ... The Eagles head into the weekend No. 3 in the UAA in free throw shooting (.722) ... Emory has been outrebounded in four of the last six games ... In its 10 victories, the Eagles have outrebounded the opposition by a 39.9-32.7 margin while showing a 39.0-34.8 deficit in their eight setbacks ... Junior Brian Giometti came up with 11 points in the NYU game, his eighth double-figure scoring game of the season ... Through games played Feb. 3, freshman Julien Williams ranks 14th among UAA players in overall rebounding (5.4 rpg) ... Through games played Feb. 3, Emory ranks first in the UAA and 36th nationally in scoring offense (80.7  ppg) ... The Eagles have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in eight games this season vs. six times in 25 contests a year ago ... Emory is shooting 49.7 percent from the floor and averaging 90.3 points in its 10 wins while shooting 38.4 percent and averaging 68.6 points in its eight losses ... Emory has an 8-2 ledger in games when it has outrebounded the opposition ... Ferderigos has 187 career thefts to his credit,  No. 2 all-time at Emory, and trails only Paul Dam's (1986-90)  No. 1 mark of 197 ... Spiros has at least one steal in 17 of the Eagles' 18 games including 12 contests of two or more ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 77 of 91 career contests ... The Eagles have players score in double figures on 64 occasions vs. 57 for the opposition ... The Eagles are averaging a league-best 20.3 free throws per game and also pace the conference with 28.2 attempts per contest.

MASSEY RATINGS HAVE UAA AS TOP DIVISION III CONFERENCE - The University Athletic Association is the top-ranked Division III conference in the nation according to the Massey Ratings. Out of the 406 teams ranked, the UAA has three teams slated among the top 15 squads (Rochester, #2; Brandeis University, #8 & Washington University #9).  The University of Chicago is ranked 23rd, Carnegie Mellon 29th and Emory 38th.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL EDGED BY NO. 9-RANKED BRANDEIS  

(Feb. 3) - Facing a 13-point second-half deficit, the Emory University men's basketball team stormed back to within two points before falling to No. 9-ranked Brandeis University Sunday afternoon.  The Judges escaped the Woodruff PE Center with an 89-81 triumph over Emory and in the process raised their overall record to 14-4, 4-3 in the University Athletic Association.  The setback dropped Emory's overall mark to 10-8, 3-4 in the conference.

Senior Spiros Ferderigos paced the Emory scoring attack with 20 points, his sixth outing of 20 or more points this season, while contributing six rebounds and doling out six assists.  Sophomore Anthony Fernandez totaled 17 points along with a game-high 11 rebounds, his second double-double of the campaign and fourth performance of double-digit rebounding.  Junior John Kresse rounded out the double-figure scorers for the Eagles with 13 points.

Emory was trailing by a 22-17 count with 11:36 remaining in the first half before rattling off a 15-1 run, sparked by a pair of three-point field goals by Kresse, to go up by a 32-23 margin with 6:54 left in the stanza. The Eagles still held a 35-30 cushion with 3:55 remaining following a pair of free throws by freshman Julien Williams but Brandeis responded with a 9-0 spurt, with seven points coming from sophomore guard Andre Roberson, to take a 39-35 lead. The Judges would maintain an advantage for the remainder of the period and went into halftime with a 45-43 margin.  Both teams shot well from the floor during the opening 20 minutes of play with Emory connecting on 50 percent of its attempts (13-of-26) while Brandeis hit 51.6 percent (16-of-31).

Back-to-back three-pointers by BU's Kevin Olson capped an 11-0 start to open the second half and pushed the Judges' lead to 56-43 with 16:28 left in the game. A three-pointer by junior Brian Giometti followed by a bucket by senior Seth Kramer drew the Eagles to within seven points with 14:51 on the clock.   A layup by Roberson gave the visitors a 10-point bulge, 65-55, with 10:49 remaining before Emory received eight points from Ferderigos and four points from Fernandez to ignite a 12-4 spurt that cut the gap to a pair at 69-67 with 7:47 left.  Ferderigos would score Emory's next six points and his pair of charity tosses with 3:37 left on the clock kept Emory within striking distance at 76-73.  But a 7-1 Brandies response pushed its advantage to 83-74 with 54 seconds and stymied Emory's comeback bid.

Roberson came off the bench to lead the Brandeis attack with a game-high 29 points, hitting nine-of-11 both from the field and the free throw line.  Senior Joe Coppens chipped in 15 points in the win.

Emory finished the game shooting 45.6 percent from the field (26-of-57) while Brandeis managed to connect on 49.2 percent (31-of-63).  The Eagles shot better from beyond the arc, hitting 46.2 percent (6-of-13) while the Judges checked in at 38.9 percent (7-of-18).  Both squads grabbed 34 rebounds.

Emory returns to action next Friday (Feb. 8) when it plays at Brandeis in an 8:00 p.m. tip.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL RALLY FALLS SHORT vs. NYU  

(Feb. 1) - Sophomore Daniel Curtin totaled a career-high 21 points and converted seven three-point field goals but it wasn't enough as New York University built a 15-point second-half lead before withstanding a furious Emory rally in claiming a 78-71 triumph on Friday evening.  The win upped NYU's overall record to 11-6, 2-4 in University Athletic Association play, while Emory saw its mark slip to 10-7 overall, 3-3 in UAA action.

Curtin's seven treys were just one shy of tying the school single-game record of eight held by Richard Sommers (vs. LaGrange College, Nov. 16, 2001) and tied him with Jeff Hall and Adrian Sosa for the second-highest total.

NYU shot 53.7 percent from the floor (22-of-41) for the game while Emory connected on 38.3 percent (23-of-60).  The Eagles converted 38.2 percent from three-point range, sinking a season-high 13-of-34 from beyond the arc and registered a 32-27 edge in rebounding.  The Violets enjoyed a wide edge in the free throws department, sinking 26-of-35 while Emory made 12-of-16.

NYU raced out to an 8-0 lead before Emory answered with an 11-2 run, keyed by a pair of treys by Curtin and one by senior Dan Smith, to take an 11-10 lead with 13:44 left in the first half.  From there, the teams jockeyed back and forth before battling to a 30-30 standoff after the opening 20 minutes of action.

The Eagles scored the first five points of the second half as sophomore Anthony Fernandez hit a jumper followed by a three-pointer by senior Spiros Ferderigos.  However, the Violets responded with an 11-2 run to claim a 41-37 advantage with 15:23 remaining.  NYU held a 47-44 edge with 11:01 left on the clock following a Curtin three-pointer before going on a 12-0 tear to distance itself from the Eagles, 59-44, with 7:36 remaining. Junior Brian Giometti kept Emory's hopes alive with five straight points to cut the gap to 10, however a layup by the Violets' John Mish pushed NYU's lead to 66-52 with 3:19 on the clock.

Undaunted, a determined Emory team mounted a 15-5 charge that was keyed by a pair of three-pointers by Curtin, a trey by Giometti, four points from John Kresse and two points from Dan Smith that drew the Eagles to within four points with 53 ticks on the clock. However, that was as close as Emory would get as it suffered just its second setback in nine home contests.

Fernandez finished with 12 points along with a game-high nine rebounds for the Eagles while Giometti totaled 11 points.  Kresse played a solid floor game with nine assists in 27 minutes of action.

"Even though NYU shot 60 percent in the first half, I felt that they hit some tough shots late in the shot clock," Emory Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said.  "In the second half, they shot a lower percentage but I felt that they got better looks earlier in the shot clock.

"I give our guys credit for playing hard the whole game and getting back to the point where getting a couple of breaks might have spelled the difference.  We have to be able to stop runs by teams with staying power and detail to defensive assignments.  However, we did not do that tonight."

Emory returns to action on Sunday (Feb. 3) when it entertains No. 9-ranked Brandeis starting at noon.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM CONTINUES UAA HOMESTAND
           
GAME FACTS - After coming off a successful home weekend, the Emory University men's basketball team returns to the Woodruff PE Center this weekend for a pair of University Athletic Association home dates.  On Friday (Feb. 1), the Eagles play host to New York University in an 8:00 p.m. tip before closing out the weekend with a Sunday bout against nationally ranked Brandeis in a noon start.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Joe Nesci (Brooklyn College, '79) is in his 20th season as head coach at NYU.  During his tenure, he has compiled a won-lost record of 347-159 and directed the Violets to 18 winning seasons and 12 postseason appearances.  

In his fifth campaign as head coach at Brandeis University is Brian Meehan (Clark University, '86).  Last year, Meehan guided the Judges to an overall record of 20-7, the program's third straight winning campaign. He is in his 12th year as a head coach overall, having served in that capacity for seven seasons at Salem State College.  

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory enters Friday's action with an overall record of 10-6 including a 3-2 effort in league play, good for fourth place. The Eagles recorded an epic 81-76 overtime victory at home against No. 1-ranked Rochester on Friday before posting an 89-85 come-from-behind win against Carnegie Mellon on Sunday.  Emory has compiled a 7-1 won-lost ledger in home contests this season.

NYU brings an overall effort of 10-6 into Friday's outing and stands 1-4 in UAA outings.  Last weekend, the Violets dropped a pair of home games, 57-50 to now No. 1-ranked Washington University and 61-44 to the University of Chicago. 

Brandeis, ranked No. 9 in the nation by D3hoops.com, posts an overall record of 12-4 including a 2-3 effort in conference games.  The Judges dropped a pair of nailbiters at home last weekend, 79-77 to Chicago and 71-69 to now No. 1-ranked Washington University.

SERIES RECORDS -  NYU claims a 27-14 advantage in the series with Emory that began in 1986.  The Violets captured both of last year's meetings, 69-50 in New York and 69-66 in Atlanta.  In games played on Emory's home floor, the NYU holds a 12-8 edge.

In a series that saw the first game played in 1988,  Brandeis holds a slim 21-19 advantage over the Eagles.  The Judges have had the better of the series in recent years winning the last eight meetings, including last season's 74-50 (at Brandeis) and 76-67 decisions.  Emory stands 12-8 against Brandeis in games played on its home floor.

HOME SWEET HOME - Emory has used the Woodruff PE Center to its advantage this year, recording a 7-1 home mark, the best eight-game record ledger since the 1997-98 campaign when that club turned in a similar effort.  The Eagles have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in five games at home this year (all three UAA contests) and are connecting at a 46.1 percent clip (220-of-477) compared to the opposition's mark of 45.2 percent.  While Emory has been outshot from three-point range by its foes (35.8 percent vs. 34.9 percent), it has made up for that by hitting a solid 75.5 percent from the charity stripe (209-of-277) vs. opponents' 68.3 percent (155-of-227).

GIOMETTI SPARKS BENCH EFFORT - Junior Brian Giometti spearheaded a strong performance by Emory reserves this past weekend by turning in a pair of double-figure scoring games.  Giometti knocked down a pair of three-point field goals en route to 10 points, while also pulling down four rebounds, against Rochester before totaling 11 points and a pair of steals against Carnegie Mellon.  He hit five-of-eight from the floor against the Tartans in notching his seventh double-figure scoring game of the season.  The Eagles' reserves outpointed CMU's bench by a 37-25 margin and also received 15 points from senior Dan Smith.

FERDERIGOS CONTINUES MARCH - As usual, senior Spiros Ferderigos played a prominent role in the success of the Eagles, averaging 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the wins over Rochester and Carnegie Mellon.  Ferderigos totaled a team-best 22 points against Rochester before chalking up 15 points against CMU.  Though he finished with just 14 field goal attempts, he sank eight of those for a 57.1 percent clip.  He spent a good portion of the weekend at the foul line, sinking 21-of-30 opportunities. He is now shooting 80.9 percent (110-of-136) from the charity stripe, good for the No. 6 spot among UAA players.

Spiros has scored in double figures in 12 straight and in a total of 15 games this year. He has produced five contests of 20 or more points and his 18.1 points per game average in overall play paces all UAA cagers.  He is tossing in 17.8 points per conference outing and holds down the No. 2 position on the UAA chart.   Career-wise, he has totaled 1,467 points, good for the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time list, and he is just 14 points from passing Terry Gorsuch's (1987-91) No. 3 mark of 1,480.

In addition his offensive totals, Ferderigos is No. 7 in the league in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and No. 1 in steals (2.19 spg).

EMORY NOTES -  Dan Smith's well-timed 15 points against Carnegie Mellon was his second-highest total of the season and most productive outing since November 24 when he tallied 20 points against Maryville College ... Smith went three-of-four from beyond the arc and six-of-seven from the foul line in recording his seventh double-figure scoring performance of the campaign ... Smith is shooting a keen 88.9 percent from the foul line (48-of-54), good for the No. 1 spot among UAA performers ... Freshman Julien Williams recorded his first double-double with a 17-point, 12-rebound effort against Rochester ... His 12 boards against the Yellowjackets represented his second double-figure rebounding performance of the campaign ... Williams enters the weekend averaging 5.7 rebounds per outing, good for the No. 14 position among UAA players ... Through games played Jan. 27, Emory ranks first in the UAA and 34th nationally in scoring offense (81.3  ppg) ... The Eagles have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in seven games this season vs. six times in 25 contests a year ago ... Sophomore Anthony Fernandez, named the UAA Co-Player of the Week, is averaging 17.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and shooting 54.9 percent from the field (28-of-51) over the last four games ... Fernandez has scored in double figures on 10 occasions this year and has led or shared for team scoring honors in three games ... Emory is averaging 90.3 points in its 10 wins, 66.2 in its six defeats ... Emory's 10-6 record is the program's best 16-game start since the 2004-05 campaign when that team recorded an 11-5 mark, and just the sixth time in 22 years that an Eagle team had reached double figures in wins through that point in the season ... Emory has an 8-1 ledger in games where it has outrebounded the opposition ... In its 10 victories, the Eagles have outrebounded the opposition by a 39.9-32.7 margin while showing a 41.7-35.3 deficit in their six setbacks ... Ferderigos has 185 career thefts to his credit,  No. 2 all-time at Emory, and trails only Paul Dam's (1986-90)  No. 1 mark of 197 ... Spiros has at least one steal in every game this year including 11 contests of two or more ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 76 of 89 career contests ... The Eagles have players score in double figures on 58 occasions vs. 48 for the opposition ... The Eagles are averaging a league-best 20.7 free throws per game and also pace the conference with 28.8 attempts per contest ... Junior John Kresse is tied for third in the UAA with a 3.75 assists per-game average ... In addition, he is sixth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (+1.71).

MASSEY RATINGS HAVE UAA AS TOP DIVISION III CONFERENCE - The University Athletic Association is the top-ranked Division III conference in the nation according to the Massey Ratings. Out of the 406 teams ranked, the UAA has three teams slated among the top 15 squads (Rochester, #2; Washington University, #4 & Brandeis #13).  Emory is ranked 33rd. 

 ANTHONY FERNANDEZ NAMED UAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK

(Jan. 29) - Emory University sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) has been selected by the University Athletic Association as Basketball Co-Player of the Week following his performance in the Eagles' wins against No. 1-ranked Rochester and Carnegie Mellon University. Fernandez shares the honor with Troy Ruths of Washington University.  It marks the first time in his career that he has been tabbed for the honor.  

The 6-foot-3 Fernandez totaled 20 points (second high on the team), two blocked shots and two steals in the Eagles' dramatic 81-76 overtime triumph against the top-ranked Yellowjackets of Rochester on Friday before pacing the club with a career-high 23 points, a team-best eight rebounds and two steals in an 89-85 decision against Carnegie Mellon.  Over the course of the two games, he averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals while shooting 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the floor and 77.8 percent from the foul line (7-of-9).

Fernandez has scored in double figures on 10 occasions this season and has either led or shared for team scoring honors on three occasions.  He is averaging 13.5 points per game, good for the No. 2 spot on the team and No. 12 position among University Athletic Association players.  He ranks first on the Emory scoresheet and is No. 5 among UAA players in rebounding (6.5 rpg).

Emory, 10-6 on the year in overall play, including 3-2 in UAA contests, returns to action on Feb. 1 when it hosts New York University in an 8:00 p.m. start. The Eagles are ranked 33rd in the nation in this week's Massey Ratings.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM RALLIES FOR WIN AGAINST CARNEGIE MELLON

(Jan. 27) - Sophomore Anthony Fernandez scored a career-high 23 points to lead four Emory double-figure scorers as the Eagles rallied for an 89-85 win over Carnegie Mellon on Sunday afternoon.  The win boosted Emory's overall record to 10-6, 3-2 in University Athletic Association play. The setback dropped CMU's overall slate to 11-5, 1-4 in the conference. 

Fernandez finished the game hitting nine-of-19 from the floor and five-of-six from the line en route to his second consecutive game of 20 or more points.  In addition, he grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Along with Fernandez's point production, the Eagles received 15 points apiece from seniors Spiros Ferderigos and Dan Smith.  Rounding out the team's double-digit producers was junior Brian Giometti with11 points. 

After posting a win over No. 1-ranked Rochester on Friday, the Eagles found themselves trailing by a 61-49 margin with 12:38 left in the game. Emory then went on an 18-6 run, keyed by six points by junior John Kresse and five points apiece by Dan Smith and Ferderigos, to take a 67-66 lead with  9:05 remaining. From there, the game was hotly contest with a total of four ties and the largest point differential being four points.  After a foul shot by CMU's Corey O'Rourke cut Emory's advantage to 77-76, senior Seth Kramer hit a key bucket with 2:04 left to extend Emory's lead to 79-76. From there, the game became a foul-shooting affair with the Eagles knocking down 10 of their final 12 attempts en route to the win. 

"As proud as I was of our team on Friday following the Rochester game, I am just as proud, if not more, of the way they hung in and battled back today," Emory Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said.  The way we played defensively down the stretch played a big role in getting the win.

"Seth Kramer's basket late in the game helped us get over the hump and Dan Smith really came through with some big baskets.  Those were two guys who stepped up when called upon."

Despite shooting 58.3 percent from the floor during the opening 20 minutes of play, Emory trailed by a 41-39 margin at halftime.  The Tartans built an 11-point cushion, 39-28, with 2:09 left in the stanza.  The Eagles regrouped and closed out the half with an 11-2 run.  Sophomore Daniel Curtin got things started with a three-pointer while Smith hit back-to-back treys.  Fernandez accounted for the other points with a basket with 35 seconds left that closed out the scoring. 

Emory finished the game with a 51.0 percent mark from the floor (26-of-51) while the Tartans recorded a 40.4 percent effort (23-of-57).  Though it was outrebounded by a 39-29, Emory connected on 76.2 percent from the charity stripe (32-of-42) while CMU finished at 69.2 percent (36-of-52). CMU scored its final 14 points from the foul line.

The win raised Emory's home record to 7-1 this year, the best eight-game home record since 1997-98 when that squad fashioned a similar slate.

Emory returns to action on Friday, Feb. 1, when it hosts New York University.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM TOPPLES NO. 1-RANKED ROCHESTER

(Jan. 25) - The Emory University arguably pulled off its biggest win in school history Friday evening as the Eagles defeated No. 1-ranked Rochester in overtime, 81-76.  The victory boosted Emory's record to 9-6 overall (2-2 in UAA).  The loss was the first setback of the campaign for the Yellowjackets and left Rochester's mark at 14-1 (3-1 in UAA).

Senior Spiros Ferderigos turned in one of many outstanding efforts for Emory, tying for game-high honors with 22 points.  Ferderigos scored 16 of those points in the second half and overtime en route to his fifth effort of 20 or more points this year.  Sophomore Anthony Fernandez sank nine-of-13 from the floor and finished the contest with a career-high 20 points.  Freshman Julien Williams came through with his first double-double with 17 points and a game-high12 rebounds.  Junior Brian Giometti rounded out the Emory double-figure scorers with 10 points.

In an entertaining first half, Rochester took a 39-38 lead at the intermission thanks in part to 14 points from Mike Chmielowiec.  The Yellowjackets shot 51.9 percent from the floor during the opening 20 minutes while the Eagles weren't far behind at 48.3 percent.  Chmielowiec would lead Rochester in scoring on the evening with 22 points.

During the early stages of the second half, Rochester led by five points on two occasions but Emory stayed within striking distance and finally grabbed a 55-54 lead with 8:40 remaining on the strength of a Ferderigos layup.  From that point, it was Emory staying ahead and eventually leading by a 64-59 margin with 4:32 on the clock following a jumper by Fernandez.  A pair of charity tosses by Giometti with 26 ticks on the clock kept Emory ahead by four points.  The Yellowjackets countered with a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left to narrow the gap to two points.  Following a miss free throw by Emory, a Rochester shot attempt missed but fell out of bounds with 0.8 seconds left.  Rochester then forced the overtime when Jon Onyiriuka converted a dramatic alley-oop just as the buzzer sounded.

The Eagles scored the first four points of overtime with baskets coming from Williams and Fernandez.  After Rochester cut the lead to one, 73-72, Williams sank two more free throws to extend the lead to three points before a jumper by Chmielowiec once again cut the Eagles' edge to one point, 75-74, with 1:27 left.  A jumper by Ferderigos followed by a free throw boosted the score to 78-74 with 27 seconds left.  From there, Emory held on to earn the victory.

"We never looked ahead more than one play ahead both on the offensive and defensive end of the floor," Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said. "I thought that our team showed great resiliency in bouncing back and not getting down after Rochester forced overtime with that alley-oop.  In the overtime, we came out and scored out of the tip which I felt was key. That play allowed us to kind of catch our breath and swing the momentum back our way.

"We went into the game knowing that we had to defend better than what we had been and I felt that we made Rochester shoot contested shots.  We also had to keep them off the glass as much as possible, especially on the offensive end."

For the game, Emory shot 50.9 percent from the field (29-of-57) while Rochester converted at a 45.8 percent clip (27-of-59).  The Yellowjackets finished with a 37-33 edge in rebounding.

Emory returns to action on Sunday (Jan. 27) when it hosts Carnegie Mellon in a noon start. 

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM RETURNS HOME FOR UAA
CONTESTS
           
GAME FACTS - The Emory University men's basketball team continues University Athletic Association play with a pair of home games this weekend. On Friday (Jan. 25), the Eagles take on the top-ranked University of Rochester squad before hosting Carnegie Mellon University on Sunday (Jan. 27).  The Woodruff PE Center on the Emory campus will be the setting for both games with Friday's action slated for an 8:00 p.m. tip and Sunday's contest starting at noon.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Mike Neer (Washington & Lee, '70) is in his 31st season as head coach at Rochester. During his tenure, he has compiled a won-lost record of 506-292 and directed the Yellowjackets to a total of 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.  

Now in his 18th campaign as head coach at Carnegie Mellon, Tony Wingen (Springfield College, '82) takes a school record of 200-235 into a Friday bout against Case Western Reserve.  In 20 campaigns as a head coach, which includes a two-year stint at the University of the South (1988-89 thru 1989-90), Wingen claims a career mark of 221-263 heading into the weekend.

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory enters Friday's action with an overall record of 8-6, including a 1-2 effort in league play.  The Eagles came out on the short end of a pair of conference road games last weekend, 85-63 to then No. 5-ranked Washington University, and 91-65 to the University of Chicago.  Emory has compiled a 5-1 won-lost ledger in home contests this season.

The University of Rochester is ranked as the No. 1 Division III team in the nation according to d3hoops.com and comes to Atlanta with a perfect 14-0 ledger, 3-0 in UAA outings.  The Yellowjackets topped NYU, 70-54, last Friday before recording a 74-68 victory over No. 2-ranked Brandeis on Sunday. 

Carnegie Mellon heads into the weekend with an overall slate of 10-4, 0-3 in UAA outings.  The Tartans dropped a pair of home games last weekend, 60-48 to Brandeis and 63-58 to New York University.  

SERIES RECORDS -  Rochester claims a 26-14 advantage in the series with Emory that began in 1988.  The Yellowjackets have won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the programs including both of last year's contests, 84-75 at Rochester and 81-65 at Emory.  In games played on the Eagles home court, each team has won 10 games. 

In a series that has its origins in 1987, Emory stands 23-16 against Carnegie Mellon.  Last season, the Eagles and Tartans each came away with a victory with CMU winning on its home floor, 71-70, in overtime and Emory notching a 94-83 decision in Atlanta.  The teams have split the last six meetings.

HOME SWEET HOME - Emory has fashioned a 5-1 home record so far this year, the program's best six-game start on its home floor since the 2002-03 campaign when it posted a similar mark.  While it has been outshot from the floor in home games by their foes (45.8% vs. 44.7%), the Eagles have been solid at the foul line, converting more from the stripe than opponents have shot.  Emory has knocked down 77.0 percent of its free throw attempts (157-of-204) while the opposition stands at 68.4 percent (104-of-152).  

LOOKING TO REGAIN THE SHOOTING TOUCH - The Eagles will be hoping that a return to the Woodruff PE Center will boost their shooting percentage while proving unkind for the opposition.  In the two road games last week, Emory hit 38.9 percent from the floor (46-118) while the opposition knocked down 52.4 percent (64-of-122). From three-point range, the Eagles converted just seven-of-33 opportunities (21.2%) vs. 50.9 percent (26-of-51) for their foes.

FERDERIGOS CONTINUES MARCH - Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL)
enters the weekend with a 10-game double-figure scoring streak.  Ferderigos recorded 17 and 16 points against Wash. Univ., and Chicago, respectively, last weekend, converting 11-of-19 from the floor, three-of-four from three-point range, and all eight of his free throw opportunities.  Through games played Jan. 20, he paces all UAA players in scoring (18.1 ppg) and has either led or shared for team scoring honors on eight occasions.

He ranks No. 4 on the conference chart in free throw shooting (84.0%) and he tops all conference performers in both free throws (89) and free throw attempts (106).  In his last seven outings, he has converted 57-of-67 from the foul line (85.0 percent).    Career-wise, he ranks as the school's all-time leader in free throws with 438 while his 83.7 percent mark from the charity stripe (438-of-523) places him in a tie for third.

In addition his impressive offensive totals, Ferderigos is No. 8 in the league in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and No. 1 in steals (2.36 spg).

EMORY NOTES -  Sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) posted a career-high 19 points in the Washington University game ...  Through games played Jan. 20, Curtin holds down the No. 8 spot in the UAA in three-point field goal percentage (.433), hitting 26-of-60 opportunities ... Curtin has chalked up seven double-digit scoring performances this season ... The Eagles have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in five games this season vs. six times in 25 contests a year ago ... Sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) came up with a team-high 17 points vs. Chicago last Sunday, his eighth performance of double figures this year and the first time he had paced the squad in scoring ... The 6-foot-3 Fernandez is pulling down a team-best 6.7 rebounds per game, No. 5 in the UAA ... Emory is averaging 91.6 points in its eight wins, 66.2 in its six defeats ... Junior John Kresse (Charleston, SC) dished out six assists, boosting his season average to 3.86 per game, good for a third-place tie among UAA players ... In his last three outings, the 6-foot-1 Kresse has 15 assists and five turnovers ... Through games played Jan. 20, Kresse is tied for seventh in the UAA in assist/turnover ratio (+1.69) ...  Senior Dan Smith (Weston, FL) stands No. 1 among UAA players in free throw shooting with an 89.4 percent mark (42-of-47) ... In the last eight games dating from Dec. 6 (vs. Oglethorpe), Smith has drained 23-of-25 from the charity stripe (92.0 percent) ... The Eagles are averaging a league-best 19.9 free throws per game and also pace the conference with 27.6 attempts per contest ... Emory has an 8-1 ledger in games where it has outrebounded the opposition ... In its eight victories, the Eagles have outrebounded the opposition by a 42.5-31.4 margin while showing a 41.7-35.3 deficit in their six setbacks ... Ferderigos has 183 career thefts to his credit,  No. 2 all-time at Emory, and trails only Paul Dam's (1986-90)  No. 1 mark of 197 ... Spiros has at least one steal in every game this year including 11 contests of two or more ... Ferderigos has 1,430 points, good for the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time list ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 74 of 87 career contests ... The Eagles have players score in double figures on 50 occasions vs. 41 for the opposition.

MASSEY RATINGS HAVE UAA AS TOP DIVISION III CONFERENCE - The University Athletic Association is the top-ranked Division III conference in the nation according to the Massey Ratings. Out of the 406 teams ranked, the UAA has three teams slated among the top 15 squads (Rochester, #1; Brandeis, #3 & Washington University, #13).  Emory is ranked 69th. 

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL LOSES TO CHICAGO

(Jan. 20) -  The Emory University men's basketball closed out its initial University Athletic Association road swing of the season with a 91-65 loss to the University of Chicago on Sunday afternoon.  The win boosted Chicago's record to 9-6 overall (2-1 UAA) while Emory saw its record drop to 8-6 (1-2 UAA).

Sophomore Anthony Fernandez led the Emory effort with 17 points along with a team-high seven rebounds while senior Spiros Ferderigos battled his way through foul trouble to record 16 points and four boards.  Fernandez was successful on seven-of-12 from the field while Ferderigos sank five of his nine attempts from the floor.

For the second straight game, Emory ran into a hot-shooting foe as Chicago finished the game by hitting 54.5 percent (30-of-55) of its field goal attempts compared to the Eagles' 37.5 percent (24-of-64).  The Maroons were dominant from three-point range as they drained an Emory opponent season-high 15-of-31 from beyond the arc (48.1 percent) while Emory struggled from distance, hitting just two of its 17 attempts.  Senior Nate Hainje and sophomore Jake Pancratz highlighted Chicago's scoring attack with 19 points apiece.

Chicago shot a blistering 53.6 percent from the floor (15-of-28) in the opening half of play, including 46.7 percent from three-point range (7-of-15), in taking a 46-25 lead at halftime.  Emory had trouble finding its shooting eye during the opening 20 minutes of action, connecting on just 33.3 percent from the field (11-of-33) while failing to convert on nine three-point opportunities.  The Maroons also used enjoyed a 23-14 edge on the glass.  Ferderigos and Fernandez totaled nine and seven points, respectively, for Emory in the first half.  Pancratz totaled 14 points to pace Chicago's scoring effort.

"Defensively, we gave up too many open looks and allowed shooters to get comfortable," Emory head coach Jason Zimmerman said. "We have to do a better job of instigating on defense and not allowing teams to set up their offense.

"It was a tough road trip this past weekend and as we go through the remainder of the UAA schedule, we have a lot of work to do to get better."

Emory returns to action on Friday (Jan. 25) when it plays host to unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Rochester in an 8:00 p.m. start (EST).

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL DROPS ROAD DECISION TO NO. 5 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

(Jan. 18) -  The Emory University men's basketball fell victim to a hot-shooting Washington University team Friday evening, as the No. 5-ranked Bears recorded an 85-63 win.  The win boosted Washington's record to 11-2 overall (2-0 UAA) while Emory saw its record slip to 8-5 (1-1 UAA).

Washington used a blistering outside shooting attack during the opening half of play in taking a 47-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.  The Bears connected on 54.3 percent of their field goal opportunities (19-of-35) and converted eight-of-11 three-point field goals.  Emory was successful on 34.5 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes and was led by sophomore guard Daniel Curtin who scored 15 of his career-high 19 points in the stanza.  Curtin concluded the contest knocking down six-of-eight from the floor including three-of-six three-point attempts, and all six of his free throw attempts. 

In the second half,  the host Bears kept the pressure on Emory with a three-pointer by Washington sophomore Aaron Thompson capping a 22-5 run to open the half and pushing the Bears' lead to 69-33 with 13:11 remaining.  Thompson was a thorn in Emory's side all evening as he sank eight-of-10 from the floor including six-of-eight from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 22 points.  Washington ended the contest with a 50.7 percent effort from the floor (34-of-67) including 55 percent from three-point range (11-of-20).  In addition, the Bears finished with a 41-28 advantage in rebounding as they registered their 23rd consecutive home win.

Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos was the other Eagle to notch double digits with 17 points while Anthony Fernandez and Brian Giometti each totaled nine points along with a team-high tying five rebounds.

Emory returns to action on Sunday (Jan. 20) when it plays at the University of Chicago  in a 1:00 p.m. start (EST).

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM BATTLES PAIR OF UAA FOES ON
THE ROAD
           
(Jan. 15) - GAME FACTS - The Emory University men's basketball team faces its first University Athletic Association road swing of the season this weekend.  On Friday (Jan. 18), the Eagles take on nationally ranked Washington University before meeting the University of Chicago on Sunday (Jan. 20).  The WU Field House will be the site of the 41st meeting between Emory and Washington University and tip is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (CST).  The Ratner Center on the University of Chicago campus will serve as the setting for the 42nd meeting between the Eagles and Maroons and that game will begin at noon (CDT).

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Mark Edwards (Washington University, '69) is in his 27th season as head coach at Washington University.  During his tenure, he has compiled a won-lost record of 462-229 which includes a 212-66 effort in UAA play.  He has guided the program to nine seasons of 20 or more wins and has 12 NCAA Tournament appearances to his credit.

Now in his ninth campaign as head coach at the University of Chicago, Mike McGrath (DePauw, '92) takes a school and career record of 141-77 into a Jan. 18 contest against Case Western Reserve.  He was tabbed as the 2006-07 UAA Coach of the Year after guiding the team to an overall record of 20-6 and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory enters the weekend with an overall record of 8-4, including a 1-0 effort in league play.  The Eagles opened the conference portion of their schedule on Saturday with a 99-92 home win against Case Western.  Leading the Emory scoring attack was senior Spiros Ferderigos and sophomore Anthony Fernandez, each of whom tallied 19 points. 

Washington University, ranked No. 5 in the nation by d3hoos.com, hosts the Eagles with an overall ledger of 10-2, 1-0 in UAA affairs.  Last weekend, the Bears notched their eighth straight win when they topped Chicago, 76-50. Washington University enters Friday's outing having won its last 22 straight home games.  

The University of Chicago will entertain Case Western on Friday with an overall record of 7-5, 0-1 in UAA action.  The Maroons dropped their conference opener last Saturday to Washington University by a 76-50 margin. Chicago has won six of seven home games this year heading into the weekend.

SERIES RECORDS -  The all-time series between Emory and Washington University began in 1988 and the Bears hold a 32-8 record against the Eagles.  Washington has won the last three and five of the last seven meetings between the schools.  Last season, the Bears claimed a 78-73 decision in Atlanta before coming away with a 74-62 victory in Saint Louis.  The Bears stand 18-2 vs. Emory in games played on their home court.

In a series that has its origins in 1987, Chicago stands 28-13 against Emory.  The Maroons have won the last four meetings including last year's 99-75 (at Emory) and 89-71 outcomes.  Chicago has won the last 13 meetings against Emory played on its home court while showing an overall slate of 17-4 in home games vs. the Eagles.  

EMORY OFFENSE KEEPS ROLLING ALONG - After seeing its streak of scoring 70 more points snapped at eight games following the Guilford contest, the Eagles bounced back with 99 points against Case Western Reserve.  It represented the team's third-highest point total of the campaign was the highest output for an Emory team in a league opener since Jan. 10, 2004, when it registered a 105-67 win over CWRU. Through games played Jan. 13, the Eagles rank No. 2 among UAA teams in scoring (83.5 ppg). 

EAGLES BATTLING ON THE BOARDS - Even though it hasn't possessed the size of the majority of its opponents, Emory has held its own on the glass this season.  Through games played Jan. 13, the Eagles rank No. 4 among UAA squads in rebound margin with a +5.7 per-game average.  Emory has outrebounded nine of 12 foes, including four by 10 or more boards.  The Eagles have not been outrebounded by double digits this season.

HOME SWEET HOME - Emory has fashioned a 5-1 home record so far this year, the program's best six-game start on its home floor since the 2002-03 campaign when it posted a similar mark.  While it has been outshot from the floor in home games by their foes (45.8% vs. 44.7%), the Eagles have been solid at the foul line, converting more from the stripe than opponents have shot.  Emory has knocked down 77.0 percent of its free throw attempts (157-of-204) while the opposition stands at 68.4 percent (104-of-152).   

FERDERIGOS ON A ROLL - Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) posted his second straight double-double when he finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds against Case Western, becoming the first Emory cager to post back-to-back doubles since Feb. 11 & 14, 2005, when Chase Fawsett turned the trick against Washington University and the University of the South.  It marked his third double-double of the season and sixth of his career.

Ferderigos enters this weekend's action as the team's and UAA's leading scorer with an 18.3 points per game average.  Ferderigos has scored in double figures in his last eight and in 11 games this year and has either led or shared for the team's scoring lead in the last four and in a total of eight contests this year.

A key element in his offensive totals has been the ability to make the most of his free throw attempts, posting a keen 82.7 percent (81-of-98) mark from the charity stripe, which places him sixth on the UAA chart. Both his makes and attempts top all league players through games played Jan. 13.  In his last five outings, he has converted 49-of-59 from the foul line (83.0 percent).  In his last three performances overall, he is averaging 18.0 points and 10.3 rebounds.

In addition his impressive offensive totals, Ferderigos is No. 7 in the league in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and No. 1 in steals (2.50 spg).

EMORY NOTES -  Emory shot 52.5 percent from the floor in the Case Western game, the fifth time this year that it finished with a mark of 50 percent or better from the field, last season the Eagles shot 50 percent or better on six occasions in 25 games ... Emory finished with a season-high seven blocks against CWRU ... Emory converted 26-of-37 from the foul line against Case, the fifth consecutive and eighth contest this year of 20 or more makes ... In the last four games, the Eagles are shooting 71.3 percent from the foul line (107-of-150) ... Emory's nine three-point field goals in the Case game was the second-highest total of the campaign while its 42.9 percent mark from beyond the arc was the third-best showing ... Junior Brian Giometti (San Diego, CA) posted a season-high 16 points off the bench against Case, his second straight and fifth double-figure scoring effort of the season ... Giometti hit four-of-five from three-point range, his sixth performance of two or more treys, and is shooting 43.9 percent from distance, good for the No. 9 spot on the UAA chart ... Sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) came through with a career-best 19 points against the Spartans of Case while his eight boards boosted his season average to 7.2 per-game, good for the top spot on the team and a tie for fifth among UAA players ...  After seeing his three-point field goal streak snapped at 10 games following the Guilford contest, sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) went four-of-eight from beyond the arc vs. Case, boosting his season's conversion rate to 44.9 percent (22-of-49), good for the No. 7 spot among UAA performers ...  Curtin has registered seven outings of two or more treys ... Senior Dan Smith (Weston, FL) stands No. 2 among UAA players in free throw shooting with an 88.6 percent mark (39-of-44) ... The Eagles are averaging a league-best 20.8 free throws per game and also pace the conference with 28.7 attempts per contest ... Emory has an 8-1 ledger in games where it has outrebounded the opposition ... In its eight victories, the Eagles have outrebounded the opposition by a 42.5-31.4 margin while showing a 43.0-37.8 deficit in their four setbacks ... Junior John Kresse (Charleston, SC) dished out a career-best eight assists against Case, raising his team-high average to 3.92 per game, good for the No. 3 spot in the UAA ... Kresse also ranks sixth in the league (through Jan. 13) with a 57.8 percent mark from the floor (37-of-64) and is fifth in assist/turnover ratio (+1.62) ... In Emory's eight victories, Kresse is shooting 68.2 percent from the floor (30-of-44), 81.8 percent (18-of-22) from the foul line, while averaging 10.3 points and 4.5 assists ...  Ferderigos has 180 career thefts to his credit,  No. 2 all-time at Emory, and trails only Paul Dam's (1986-90)  No. 1 mark of 197 ... Spiros has at least one steal in every game this year including 10 contests of two or more ... Ferderigos has 1,397 points, good for the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time list ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 72 of 85 career contests ... The Eagles have players score in double figures on 46 occasions vs. 35 for the opposition.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM HOLDS OFF CASE IN UAA OPENER

(Jan. 12) - Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos and sophomore Anthony Fernandez each totaled 19 points and the Eagles held off a second-half charge in securing a 99-92 triumph over Case Western Reserve Saturday afternoon in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams. The victory boosted Emory's record to 8-4 (1-0 UAA) while Case slipped to 7-5 and 0-1 in the league.

Junior Brian Giometti and sophomore Daniel Curtin played key roles in the win, combining for 28 points off the bench.  Giometti recorded 16 points, sinking six-of-nine from the floor, including four-of-five from three-point range, while Curtin knocked down four-of-eight from beyond the arc en route to a 12-point afternoon.

The Eagles jumped out the gate quickly, hitting 11 of their first 14 field goal attempts in building a 28-14 lead with 11:46 left in the first half.  Emory eventually extended its lead to 51-34 with 1:46 left in the stanza following a free throw by senior Seth Kramer.  However, the Spartans scored the game's next six points to narrow the deficit to 51-40 at halftime.  Emory sank 56.7 percent from the floor (17-of-30) during the opening 20 minutes of play and was led in scoring by Fernandez and Curtin with nine points each while Giometti chipped in eight.

A bucket by Ferderigos gave Emory a 65-53 edge with 13:39 remaining in the contest but Case rattled off eight straight points, key by a pair of three-point field goals by junior Brad Sutton, to cut Emory's cushion to 65-61 with 12:00 left.  The Eagles regrouped and used a pair of baskets by junior John Kresse, along with a pair of charity tosses by Ferderigos, to take a 10-point lead, 71-61, with 10:35 on the clock. Emory still enjoyed an 82-74 lead before three-pointers by Sutton and Colin Mulholland and a bucket by Brandon Bradford knotted the game at 82-82 with 4:53 left.  Sutton finished with a game-high 26 points while Mulholland added 16.

Another three-pointer by Mulholland gave the visiting Spartans a 90-89 lead with just 1:43 on the clock but a basket by Fernandez just six seconds later enabled Emory to take the lead for good.  The Eagles scored their final eight points from the charity stripe, sinking all eight opportunities, with Ferderigos accounting for six of those makes.

"In the first half, I thought that we executed well and our attentio to detail helped us to a good start, Emory Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said. "In the second half, Case made a great run at us but to our team's credit we hung in and did not panic. We were able to made some plays down the stretch and get the win. Really, this game is a microcosm of UAA play, you have to compete and battle for all 40 minutes."

For the game, Emory shot 52.5 percent from the floor (32-of-61) while Case finished with a 50.8 percent effort (32-of-63).  Both squads shot well from three-point range with the Eagles draining 42.9 percent of their tries (9-of-21) and Case 52.5 percent (12-of-23).  Emory posted a slim 35-33 edge in rebounding and was led in that department by Ferderigos with 13 boards.

Emory returns to action next Friday evening (Jan. 18) when it plays at Washington University.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL OPENS UAA PLAY
           
(Jan. 10) - GAME FACTS - The Emory University men's basketball team opens its 22nd season of University Athletic Association play this Saturday (Jan. 12) when it plays host to Case Western Reserve University. The Woodruff PE Center on the Emory campus will serve as the site of the 31st meeting between the programs and tip is slated for noon.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Sean McDonnell (Boston College, '96) is in his fifth season as head coach of the Case program.  Prior to his appointment at CWRU, he served as the head coach at Hiram College for three seasons

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory will take a won-lost effort of 7-4 into its league opener.  The Eagles concluded the non-conference portion of their schedule by topping Birmingham Southern, 82-77, on Jan. 2 before coming out on the short end of an 82-67 decision to No. 12-ranked Guilford College last Saturday.  Emory has won four of five home games this season.  Case invades the Woodruff PE Center with a 7-4 mark.  In their most recent action, the Spartans played at the Tampa Bay Shootout (Dec. 29-30) where they lost games to DePauw University (74-73) and Colby Sawyer (92-80).  

SERIES RECORDS -  The all-time series, which started in 1987, is deadlocked at 15 wins apiece.  Last year, the teams split two games with Emory winning in Cleveland by a 76-67 margin and Case claiming an 84-83 overtime decision in Atlanta.  Emory stands 8-6 against the Spartans in games played on its home floor, though Case has won the last two contests at the Woodruff PE Center.

EMORY OFFENSE PRODUCTIVE DURING THE NON-CONFERENCE - While Emory's 82-67 setback to Guilford snapped the team's eight-game streak of scoring 70 or more points, the Eagles still rank among the UAA's more proficient scoring teams.  Through games played Jan. 9, Emory holds down the No. 2 spot in the conference in scoring offense with an 82.1 points per game average.  In NCAA statistics released Jan. 6, Emory is 35th nationally in scoring offense.

EAGLES BATTLING ON THE BOARDS - Even though it hasn't possessed the size of the majority of its opponents, Emory has held its own on the glass this season.  Through games played Jan. 9, the Eagles rank No. 3 among UAA squads in rebound margin with a +6.0 per-game average.  Emory has outrebounded eight of 11 foes, including four by 10 or more boards.  The Eagles have not been outrebounded by double digits this season. 

FERDERIGOS ON A ROLL - Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) has been on a roll and checks into the Case game No. 1 on the team and No. 2 among UAA players with an 18.3 points per game average.  Ferderigos has scored in double figures in his last seven and in 10 games this year and is coming off a 17-point, career-high tying 14-rebound afternoon against Guilford College which represented his second double-double of the year and fifth of his career.

A key element in his offensive totals has been the ability to make the most of his free throw attempts, posting a keen 82.1 percent (69-of-84) mark from the charity stripe,  which places him sixth on the UAA chart. Both his makes and attempts top all league players through games played Jan. 9.  In his last four outings, he has converted 37-of-45 from the foul line (82.2 percent).

In addition his impressive offensive totals, Ferderigos is No. 8 in the league in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and No. 1 in steals (2.45 spg).

EMORY NOTES - Senior Dan Smith (Weston, FL) stands No. 2 among UAA players and is tied for 47th on the national scene in free throw shooting with an 88.1 percent mark ... Smith's 10-points against Guilford represented his sixth double-figure scoring effort of the year ... The Eagles are averaging a league-best 20.3 free throws per game and also pace the conference with 28 attempts per contest ... Sophomore Brian Giometti gave the Eagles a boost off the bench in the Guilford game with 14 points, his second-highest total of the campaign and fourth double-figure effort of the year ... Giometti has five games of two or more three-point field goals ... Sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) saw his streak of three-point field goals snapped at 10 games in the Guilford contest ... Despite not having a trey, Curtin holds down the No. 7 position in the UAA with a 43.9 percent (18-of-41) showing from distance ... Emory has a 7-1 ledger in games where it has outrebounded the opposition ... In its seven victories, the Eagles have outrebounded the opposition by a 43.6-31.1 margin while showing a 43.0-37.8 deficit in their four setbacks ... Freshman Julien Williams (Potomac, MD) picked up 10 points against Guilford, his fourth double-digit showing of the season ... Williams is averaging 13.2 points over his last five games ... Junior John Kresse (Charleston, SC) owns a team-high 56.9 percent mark from the floor (33-of-58) and stands seventh in the UAA ... Kresse also paces the club in assists with a 3.55 per-game effort, good for No. 5 among conference performers ... In Emory's seven victories, Kresse is shooting 68.4 percent from the floor (26-of-38), 85.0 percent (17-of-20) from the foul line, while averaging 10.4 points and 4.0 assists ...  Ferderigos has 177 career thefts to his credit and moved into the No. 2 position on the school's all-time list in the Guilford game following his four steals ... Ferderigos trails only Paul Dam's (1986-90)  No. 1 mark of 197 ... Spiros has at least one steal in every game this year including nine contests of two or more ... Sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) is pulling down a team-best 7.1 rebounds per game, good for the No. 6 spot on the UAA chart ... Ferderigos has 1,378 points, good for the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time list ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 71 of 84 career contests ... The Eagles have players score in double figures on 42 occasions vs. 31 for the opposition.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM FALLS TO No. 12-RANKED GUILFORD
(Jan. 5) - The Emory University men's basketball team saw its six-game winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon at the Woodruff PE Center as the No. 12-ranked Quakers of Guilford College registered an 82-67 win.  The loss dropped Emory's record to 7-4 while Guilford raised its won-lost slate to 6-2.

Emory had trouble finding the basket early, connecting on just four of its first 27 field goal opportunities as Guilford built a 33-13 lead with 6:23 left in the first half.  However, Emory was able to claw its way back into the game as it closed out the stanza on a 19-9 spurt that was keyed by seven points apiece from junior Brian Giometti and senior Spiros Ferderigos.  Ferderigos finished the contest with team highs in both points with 17 and 14 rebounds while Giometti registered 14 points, his fourth double-figure scoring performance of the campaign.

The Eagles continued to put the pressure on the Quakers and drew to within seven points, 51-44, with 13:48 remaining following a pair of free throws by Ferderigos. However, Guilford countered Emory's comeback bid by going on a 10-1 run that boosted its advantage to 61-45 with 11:19 on the clock. From that point, the closest Emory would get would be 13 points.

Emory concluded the game shooting just 23.5 percent from the floor while the visitors from Guilford hit on 45.2 percent of its opportunities.  The Eagles were also hampered by cold shooting from the foul line, converting 31-of-50 with the attempts total representing the second-highest single-game mark in school history.

Leading Guilford with 28 points and 15 rebounds was 6-foot-11 senior center Ben Strong, the 2006-07 Division III Player of the Year.

Emory returns to action next Saturday (Jan. 12) when it opens University Athletic Association play with a home contest against Case Western Reserve starting at noon.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM EDGES BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN - NOTCHES SIXTH-STRAIGHT WIN

(Jan. 2) -- Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos totaled 18 points to lead a balanced scoring attack as the Eagles topped Birmingham Southern, 82-77, Wednesday evening in a game played at the Woodruff PE Center.  The victory was Emory's sixth straight and raised the team's record to 7-3.  With the loss, Birmingham Southern slipped to 6-4.

Emory got out of the blocks quickly, racing out to a 12-0 lead just three minutes and thirty seconds into the game. The Eagles built a 14-point margin with 12:29 left in the stanza when a three-point field goal by sophomore Daniel Curtin gave the home team a 24-10 advantage.  Trailing by a 28-16 count with 11:24 left in the half, the Panthers mounted a determined 22-4 run to take a 38-32 lead into halftime.  Birmingham Southern converted four treys in that burst while finishing the opening 20 minutes of action with seven three pointers.

Emory trailed, 52-50, with 12:31 remaining in the contest before posting a 12-0 run, with five points coming from sophomore Anthony Fernandez, to take a 62-52 lead with 10:21 left on the clock.   Fernandez finished the contest with 15 points, his fourth straight and sixth double-figure scoring performance of the campaign.

BSC chipped away and cut the deficit to one point, 78-77, with 13 seconds left on the strength of jumper by Daniel Hudson. However, Emory closed out the contest by sinking four straight free throws, two by Ferderigos and two by Curtin, to seal the outcome. 

"We started out aggressive at both ends of the floor but then hit a stretch where we missed some shots and subsequently were not as effective in paying attention to detail on the defensive end as we would like to be," Emory head coach Jason Zimmerman said. "In the second half, we got back to defending better which helped lead us to getting some easier shots that we were able to knock down.  Overall, it was a good win because we had to overcome some obstacles to earn it."

Curtin and junior John Kresse rounded out Emory's double-figure scorers with 14 and 12 points, respectively.  Birmingham Southern shot 52.6 percent from the floor (30-of-57) while Emory finished with a 47.4 percent mark (27-of-57).  Emory held a 36-26 edge on the glass with senior Seth Kramer leading the Eagles with six boards.

Emory's six-game win streak is the longest for the program the 2002-03 season when that club recorded seven consecutive victories to open the season.  The Eagles' 7-3 mark represents the best 10-game start for the program since 2004-05 (8-2).

Emory's next action takes place on Saturday (Jan. 5) when it plays host to No. 12-ranked Guilford in a 3:00 p.m. tip.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TO HOST BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN AND
GUILFORD
           
(Jan. 1) - GAME FACTS - After breaking for finals and the holidays, the Emory University men's basketball team gears up for a pair of home games this week.  On Wednesday (Jan. 2) the Eagles will tangle with Birmingham Southern in a 7:00 p.m. start before playing host to nationally ranked Guilford College on Saturday (Jan. 5) beginning at 3:00 p.m.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Mitch Cole (Montana State, '92) was named BSC's 12th-ever head coach in July of 2006. Prior to his appointment, he had served on the BSC staff as an assistant for 11 seasons.

In his fifth year as head coach of Guilford College is Tom Palombo (Virginia Wesleyan, '89).  During his tenure with the Quakers, he has compiled a 71-44 won-lost mark which includes a 24-5 ledger last season.  In 11 seasons as a head coach, which includes a six-year stint at Defiance College, Palombo has a career record of 171-107.

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory checks into 2008 with a 6-3 record.  The Eagles have won their last five outings and posted a 106-89 win over Oglethorpe in their last outing which took place on Dec. 15.  The five-game win streak is Emory's longest since the 2004-05 squad opened its season with five straight victories.  The Eagles are 3-0 on its home floor this season.

Birmingham Southern comes to town with a 6-3 record.  The Panthers enjoyed a successful return from the holidays with a 71-67 home triumph against Huntingdon College on Dec. 29.

Guilford College, ranked No. 6 in the nation by d3hoops.com, takes a 4-2 slate into a Jan. 2 Averett University.  The Quakers came out on the short end of a 64-62 verdict to Shenandoah on Dec. 17.

SERIES RECORDS -  Emory's outings against both Birmingham Southern and Guilford will represent the first-ever meetings in basketball.

EMORY OFFENSE ON THE GO - Emory has been proficient at putting points up on the board this season and the Eagles' 106-point outburst vs. Oglethorpe on Dec. 15 represented the second straight game that an Emory team had either reached or surpassed the century mark in 100 points, the first time that has been achieved by the Eagles since Nov. 25 & Dec. 1, 1989.

OFFENSIVE FOLLOW-UP - Through games played Dec. 30, Emory holds down the No. 1 spot among University Athletic Association teams in scoring offense, averaging 83.8 points per contest.  The Eagles have accounted for two of the three 100-point games by league teams this season. 

The Eagles have scored 85 or more points in each of its last five games, the first time that an Emory squad has achieved that since the 1989-90 season when it posted a 12-game streak of 85-plus points en route to a 25-4 overall record.

EAGLES ZERO IN AT THE FOUL LINE - Timely free throw shooting has been a prominent factor throughout the season for the Eagles with the squad pacing all UAA teams with a 75 percent (171-of-228) showing from the charity stripe.  In the club's last outing, Emory connected on 84.8 percent of its foul shooting opportunities, hitting a season-high tying 28-of-33.  The Eagles have sank 80 percent or better of their free throw tries on five occasions this year.  In NCAA statistics released Dec. 16, Emory was tied for the No. 34 spot nationally in free throw shooting.

EMORY NOTES - During its five-game winning streak Emory has outscored the opposition by a 95.2-77.2 per-game margin and is shooting a solid 50.6 percent (166-of-328) from the floor vs. 40.9 percent for the opposition (134-of-328) ... Emory is averaging 39.2 first-half points vs. 35.2 for its foes while tossing in 44.6 points in the second half compared to the opposition's average of 41.4 ... Emory has outrebounded seven opponents this year and stands 6-1 in those contests ... During its five-game winning streak, Emory shows a decisive 46.4-32.8 per-game edge in rebounding ... Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) led Emory in scoring against Oglethorpe with a season-high 32 points, the sixth time this year that he had either led or shared for the team's scoring lead ...  Ferderigos leads Emory and ranks No. 2 among UAA players (through Dec. 30) with an 18.4 points per game average ... Ferderigos, who leads both the team and UAA in steals (2.33 spg), has 171 career thefts to his credit and holds down the No. 3 position on the school's all-time list, just four shy of tying the No. 2 mark of 175 held by Paul Schuliger (1987-91) ... Spiros has at least one steal in every game this year ... Sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) pulled down a team-high tying 12 rebounds in the Oglethorpe game, his third effort of double-digit rebounding this season ... The 6-foot-3 Fernandez is pulling down a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game, good for the No. 2 position on the UAA chart .. Sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) has at least one three-point field goal in all nine games and is shooting 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from distance, good for the No. 4 position among all UAA players ... Ferderigos has 1,403 points, good for the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time list ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 69 of 82 career contests ... The Eagles have players score in double figures on 34 occasions vs. 25 for the opposition.

EMORY'S SPIROS FERDERIGOS NAMED UAA BASKETBALL CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK  

(Dec. 18) - Emory University senior guard Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) has been selected by the University Athletic Association as Basketball Co-Player of the Week following his performance in an Eagles' win against crosstown rival Oglethorpe University. He shares the honor with Troy Ruths of Washington University.  It marks the fourth time in his career that he has been tabbed for the honor.  

Ferderigos paced the Eagles with a season-high 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in the 106-89 victory over Oglethorpe on Saturday (Dec. 15).  Ferderigos sank eight-of-14 from the floor, including three-of-four from three-point range, and 13-of-16 from the foul line en route to his fourth career contest of 30 or more points.  Ferderigos came up with 20 points during the second half of play in helping the squad to its fifth straight win, the longest streak for an Emory team since the 2004-05 squad opened that season with five straight triumphs. In addition to those impressive totals, Ferderigos chalked up team highs with three blocks and two steals.  

Through nine games, the 6-foot-1 Ferderigos paces the team and holds down the No. 2 position among UAA players in scoring (18.4 ppg) and claims the top spot in the conference in steals (2.33).

Emory, 6-3 on the year, returns to action on Jan. 2 when it hosts Birmingham Southern in a 7:00 p.m. start.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM TOPS OGLETHORPE TO EARN FIFTH STRAIGHT WIN

(Dec. 15) -- Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos totaled a season-high 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists and the Eagles had six players score in double figures Saturday evening in a 106-89 win over Oglethorpe University.  The win was Emory's fifth straight and raised the team's record to 6-3.  With the loss, Oglethorpe slipped to 5-3.

Emory scored the game's first 10 points and hit seven of its first 11 shots from the floor while holding the Stormy Petrels to just one make in their first eight attempts en route to a 16-2 cushion.  After the Oglethorpe rattled off seven unanswered points, the Eagles responded with a 12-0 surge to go up by a 28-9 count.  Emory would build a pair of 29-point leads before going into the locker room at the half with a 49-23 advantage.  The Eagle shot 50 percent (18-of-26) from the floor during the opening 20 minutes while Oglethorpe struggled, converting just 27.3 percent (9-of-33).

Ferderigos accounted for 20 of his points during the second half of action including a pair of three-pointers within a 40-second span that played a key role in a 10-0 Emory run that pushed its lead to 30 points, 71-41, with 14:37 left on the clock.  Ferderigos finished the contest sinking eight-of-14 from the floor, including three-of-four from three-point range, and 13-of-16 from the foul line.  Freshman Julien Williams turned in a big second half, posting 14 of his 16 points which represented his third consecutive scoring contest.  Sophomore Anthony Fernandez hit six-of-12 from the floor and registered 13 points while tying his career high with 12 rebounds.  Emory enjoyed a  49-32 edge on the glass.

Emory held a 22-point margin with 8:48 remaining before an Oglethorpe flurry drew it to within 10 points on two occasions, the final time with 1:42 left. The Eagles then closed out the contest by hitting their final eight free throws as part of a 10-3 run that closed out the game's scoring.  For the game, Emory shot 51.5 percent from the floor (34-of-66), its third straight and fourth performance of the season of shooting 50 percent or better.  Also chalking up double-figure scoring was junior John Kresse with 12 points (six assists), sophomore Daniel Curtin with 11 points and Brian Giometti with 10.

The five-game win streak is Emory's longest since the 2004-05 squad opened its season with five straight victories.  The 106 points scored against Oglethorpe was the second straight game that the Eagles had either reached or surpassed the century mark in 100 points, the first time that has been achieved by an Emory team since Nov. 25 & Dec. 1, 1989.

Emory returns to action on Jan. 2 when it hosts Birmingham Southern.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL SQUAD CLOSES OUT 2007 WITH HOME
GAME vs. OGLETHORPE

(Dec. 13) -- GAME FACTS - The Emory University men's basketball team closes out the 2007 portion of its schedule on Saturday (Dec. 15) when it plays host to Oglethorpe University.

The Woodruff PE Center on the Emory campus will serve as the site of the 43rd meeting between the Eagles and Stormy Petrels and tip is slated for 7:00 p.m.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Philip Ponder is in his fifth season as head coach at Oglethorpe. Last year, Ponder directed the program to a won-lost effort of 14-12, the best record by an Oglethorpe squad in eight years. 

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory hosts Oglethorpe with a 5-3 record.  The Eagles have won their last four outings and are coming off a 100-89 win at home against Maryville College last Saturday.  In that game, senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) and freshman Julien Williams (Potomac, MD) each totaled 18 points to lead the Eagles' scoring attack while Williams also snagged a team-high eight rebounds.  Emory is 2-0 on its home floor this season.

Oglethorpe makes the short cross-town trip to Emory the owners of a 5-2 won-lost mark.  The Stormy Petrels have won their last two outings including an 85-71 decision against Huntingdon College on Monday. 

SERIES RECORDS -  Oglethorpe holds a 23-19 edge in the series with Emory that saw the first game played in 1987.  The teams have met once already this season (Dec. 6), with the Eagles coming away with an 89-52 triumph.  Ferderigos paced four Emory double-figure scorers with 17 points while Williams posted a team-best seven rebounds.  Emory holds a 13-7 advantage against Oglethorpe in contests played on its home court.

EMORY OFFENSE CLICKING - During its four-game winning streak Emory has outscored the opposition by a 92.5-74.2 per-game margin.  The Eagles are averaging 81.1 points per outing through eight contests and hold down the No. 2 position among UAA squads in scoring offense (through games played Dec. 11). 

Emory is shooting 50.3 percent (132-of-262) from the field over the last four games vs. the opposition's mark of 41.4 percent (107-of-258). 

The Eagles have scored 85 or more points in each of its last four games, the first time that an Emory squad has achieved that since the 1989-90 season when it posted a 12-game streak of 85-plus points en route to a 25-4 overall record.

EAGLES ZERO IN AT THE FOUL LINE - Free throw shooting played a key role in the Eagles' win over Maryville College with the squad knocking down a season-high 28-of-30 from the charity stripe.  The squad's 93.3 percentage from the charity stripe tied for the fourth-highest single-game mark in school history.  Through eight games, Emory has shot 90 percent or better from the foul line on three occasions and currently ranks No. 1 among UAA teams with a 73.1 percent success rate from the line.

EMORY NOTES - Ferderigos has either led or shared for the team scoring lead in five contests and claims three contests of 20 or more points ... Ferderigos paces the team with a 16.8 points per-game scoring average, good for the No. 3 position among UAA players through games played Dec. 11 ... Ferderigos, who leads both the team and UAA in steals (2.38 spg), has 169 career thefts to his credit and holds down the No. 3 position on the school's all-time list, just six shy of tying the No. 2 mark of 175 held by Paul Schuliger (1987-91) ... Spiros has at least one steal in every game this year ... Julien Williams' team-best eight boards against Maryville represented the third time this season that he had either led or shared for the team high in that category ... Emory has outrebounded six opponents this year and stands 5-1 in those contests ... During its four-game winning streak, Emory shows a decisive 45.8-33.0 per-game edge in rebounding ... Sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) enjoyed a pair of productive scoring games last week, notching 16 points in the win against Oglethorpe before totaling 15 vs. Maryville ... In the two games, the 6-foot-3 Fernandez connected on 59.1 percent of his field goal attempts (13-of-22) and five-of-eight from the foul line ... Fernandez continues to lead the team in rebounding with a 7.4 per-game average, good for the No. 5 spot on the UAA chart ... Senior Dan Smith (Weston, FL) has scored in double figures in his last three games and is averaging 12.0 points per game in that stretch ... Smith has five double-figure scoring games to his credit, second on the team to Ferderigos who checks in with seven ... Sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) has at least one three-point field goal in all eight games and is shooting 52.0 percent (13-of-25) from distance, good for the No. 4 position among all UAA players ... Emory is averaging 38.0 first-half points vs. 36.8 for its foes while tossing in 43.0 points in the second half compared to the opposition's average of 38.4 ... Ferderigos checks into the Oglethorpe game with 1,371 points, good for the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time list ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 68 of 81 career contests ... During its four-game winning streak, Emory reserves have averaged 34.2 points per contest.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM CAPTURES SHOOTOUT vs. MARYVILLE


(Dec. 8) - Emory senior Spiros Ferderigos scored all 18 of his points in the second half and the Eagles received double-figure scoring from five players in recording an exciting 100-89 win against Maryville College on Saturday afternoon.  The win was Emory's fourth consecutive triumph and raised its record to 5-3.  Maryville suffered its first loss of the year and now stands 5-1.

Ferderigos was limited to just six minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls.  He roared back in the second half, hitting five-of-eight from the floor and all seven of his free throw opportunities.  Aiding in the win was freshman Julien Williams with a season-high 18 points and sophomore Anthony Fernandez with 15 points.  Junior John Kresse added 14 points and dished out five assists.

With the game tied at 77-77, Williams converted an acrobatic shot and converted a subsequent foul shot that gave the Eagles a three-point advantage with 4:29 remaining on the clock. That keyed a 14-6 run, with seven of those points coming from Ferderigos, as the Eagles claimed a 91-83 advantage with 2:26 left on the clock.  After the Scots closed the gap to five points, the Eagles rattled off a 9-3 spurt that closed out the game's scoring.

For the game, Emory shot 54.1 percent from the floor (33-of-61) while Maryville finished with a 40.0 percent effort (30-of-75). Both squads were on fire from the floor in the second half with the Eagles connecting at a 52.8 percent clip and Maryville a 54.3 percent effort.  Emory finished with a 44-35 advantage in rebounding and were led in that department by Williams and senior Seth Kramer, both of whom snatched eight boards.

Emory led by a 16-point margin, 39-23, with 4:02 left in the first half before Maryville rallied to close the gap at 43-37 at halftime.  Williams helped pick up the slack left by Ferderigos' absence with 11 first-half points. 

Emory's 100 points marked the first time that it reached the century mark in regulation since Feb. 26, 2005, in 102-75 win over Case Western.

Emory returns to action next Saturday evening (Dec. 15) when it hosts Oglethorpe in a 7:00 p.m. tip.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL RACES BY OGLETHORPE

(Dec. 6) - Senior Spiros Ferderigos paced a balanced scoring attack with 17 points, while dishing out seven assists, and the Eagles turned in another impressive offensive display Thursday evening in an 89-52 triumph at Oglethorpe University.  The win boosted Emory's record to 4-3 while Oglethorpe slipped to 3-2.

The Eagles had four players finish with double-digit point production and concluded the contest with a 50 percent mark (33-of-66) from the field. While Emory was executing on the offensive end of the floor, its defensive play was solid as it limited the Stormy Petrels to just 31.1 percent (19-of-61) of their field goal attempts.  The Eagles also enjoyed a hefty 49-31 edge on the glass and were led in that department by freshman Julien Williams with seven boards.

In addition to Ferderigos, sophomore Anthony Fernandez converted seven-of-10 from the floor en route to a career-high 16 points. Williams and senior Dan Smith each registered 14 points.

In the first half, Emory held a 18-14 advantage before holding the hosts scoreless for over four minutes and scoring the game's next 12 points to take a 30-14 lead with 9:10 remaining.  After Oglethorpe sliced the gap to seven points, 32-25, with 4:03 on the clock, the Eagles responded with a 12-3 burst to close out the half, the last seven coming by Smith in the final 1:16 of the stanza, in taking a 44-28 cushion at halftime.

Oglethorpe stayed within striking distance and trailed by 10 points, 48-38, early in the second half before Emory silenced the comeback bid with an impressive 18-2 barrage, with five different players figuring in the run, to up the score to 66-40 with a little more than 10 minutes remaining. 

Emory returns to action on Saturday (Dec 8) when it hosts Maryville College in a 4:00 p.m. start.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL SQUAD BATTLES OGLETHORPE ON THE
ROAD BEFORE HOSTING MARYVILLE

(Dec. 4) - GAME FACTS - Looking to extend its two-game win streak, the 2007-08 men's basketball team plays at Oglethorpe University on Thursday (Dec. 6) before returning home for a Saturday (Dec. 8) tilt against Maryville College.

The Dorough Field House on the Oglethorpe campus will be the site of the 42nd meeting between the Stormy Petrels and Eagles and tip is slated for 8:00 p.m.  The Woodruff PE Center on the Emory campus serves as the setting for the 19th meeting between the Scots and Eagles with the contest slated for a 4:00 p.m. start.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Phillip Ponder is in his fifth season as head coach at Oglethorpe. Last year, Ponder directed the program to a won-lost effort of 14-12, the best record by an Oglethorpe squad in eight years.  During his tenure, Oglethorpe has manufactured a 33-18 record in games played on its home court.

Randy Lambert (Maryville, ‘76) is in his 28th season as head coach at Maryville. During his tenure, Lambert has compiled a school and career record of 505-222 and ranks 11th in the nation among active Division III coaches in victories.

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory enters the Oglethorpe contest with a 3-3 record.  The Eagles have won their last two outings including a 92-84 verdict at Huntingdon College on Saturday, a game that represented a season high in point production.  Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) paced the Emory scoring attack with 21 points while freshman Julien Williams (Potomac, MD) and sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) helped the visitors to a 58-43 edge on the glass with 14 and 10 rebounds, respectively.

Oglethorpe also enjoys a two-game winning streak and will welcome Emory with a 3-1 record.  In their most recent performance the Stormy Petrels topped Rhodes, 92-71.  

Heading into a December 4 home game vs. Carson Newman, Maryville stood 4-0.  The Scots played at Rust College last Saturday and came away with a 98-45 triumph.

SERIES RECORDS -  Oglethorpe holds a 23-18 edge in the series with Emory that saw the first game played in 1987.  Each club recorded a win on its home court last season with Emory posting a 77-73 triumph at the Woodruff PE Center and Oglethorpe a 90-73 decision at Dorough.  The Stormy Petrels have won three of the last four encounters.

In a series that started in 1990, Maryville stands 13-5 all-time vs. Emory.  Maryville hosted Emory earlier this year (Nov. 24) and emerged with a hard-fought 72-72 victory.  Each team has won four games on Emory's home court

EMORY NOTES - Julien Williams' 14 rebounds against Huntingdon stands as the high-water mark by an Emory player this season and was the third time this season that an Emory player finished with 10 or more boards in a game ...  Emory sank a season-high 25 free throws in the Huntingdon contest, the third outing this year of 20 or more makes from the charity stripe ... The Eagles pulled down 58 rebounds against Huntingdon, tying the seventh-highest single-game mark in school history ... Spiros Ferderigos, who leads both the team and UAA in steals (2.50 spg), has 165 career thefts to his credit and holds down the No. 3 position on the school's all-time list ... Sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) has at least one three-point field goal in all six games and is shooting 45.5 percent from distance, good for the No. 9 position among all UAA players ... Curtin's 10 points against Huntingdon represented his third double-figure scoring effort of the season ... Junior Brian Giometti came off the bench and totaled a season-high 15 points against Huntingdon, his second double-figure scoring performance of the campaign ... Giometti has three-point field goals in his last five outings and is shooting 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from beyond the arc, good for the No. 12 spot in the UAA ... Senior Seth Kramer (Winter Park, FL) has made the most of his shooting opportunities and paces all UAA players with a 73.1 percent mark (19-of-26) from the floor ... Kramer sank four-of-five in the Huntingdon outing and also tied his season high with seven rebounds ... Emory has been outscored by a 38.2-36.0 margin in the first half while showing a 40.5-38.5 advantage in the second half ... Ferderigos checks into the Oglethorpe game with 1,336 points, good for the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time list ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 66 of 79 career contests ... Anthony Fernandez is pulling down and average of 8.6 rebounds per contest, tops on the club and No. 3 among UAA players.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL DEFEATS HUNTINGDON

(Dec. 1) - Emory senior Spiros Federigos scored  15 of his team-high 21 points in the second half and junior Brian Giometti came off the bench to add 15 points as the Eagles posted a 92-84 win at Huntingdon College Saturday afternoon. The win evened the Eagles record at 3-3 while Huntingdon fell to 2-4.

Emory ended the game shooting 43.5 percent from the floor (30-of-69) while Huntingdon connected on 40.6 percent (28-of-69).  The Eagles held a huge 58-43 edge on the glass and were led in the department by freshman Julien Williams and sophomore Anthony Fernandez with 14 and 10 boards, respectively.

Holding a  50-40 lead with 16:34 left in the game, Emory went on a 15-3 run over the next four minutes to sprint to a 65-43 advantage.  Keying the spurt was Ferderigos with six points and three points apiece by Fernandez and Giometti. Giometti hit six-of-nine from the floor in the contest, including three-of-five from three-point range.

Emory will play at Oglethorpe on Thursday evening in an 8:00 p.m. tip.

 
EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM CONTINUES ROAD TRAVELS WITH
CONTEST AT HUNTINGDON

(Nov. 28) - GAME FACTS - The 2007-08 men's basketball team opens the month of December this Saturday (Dec. 1) with a road date at Huntingdon College.  The Catherine Roland Dixon Arena on the Huntingdon campus will be the site of the fifth-ever meeting between the Eagles and Hawks and tip is slated for 4:00 p.m.

There will be an audio and video webcast of the Emory-Huntingdon contest.  The address is

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94.)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Mike Pugh is in his first season as head coach at Huntingdon. Pugh joined the Huntingdon athletic department after spending the previous seven seasons as the boy's basketball coach at Opelika (AL) High School.  Prior to his stint at Opelika, Pugh spent seven seasons at Enterprise State Junior College where he compiled a won-lost record of 110-76.

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory enters the Huntingdon contest with a 2-3 record.  The Eagles split a pair of games at the Maryville College Thanksgiving Classic last weekend, dropping a hard-fought 75-72 decision to Maryville in their opener before bouncing back to claim a decisive 89-72 triumph over LaGrange.  Emory has played four of its five games in road or neutral settings.

Huntingdon hosts Emory with a record of 2-3.  The Hawks played at Atlanta Christian on Tuesday and came away with a 76-73 victory.

SERIES RECORDS -  Emory has won all four meetings in the series that started in 1997.  Saturday's affair will represent the first meeting since Feb. 21, 1999, when Emory recorded a 79-68 victory.

EMORY NOTES - Emory shot a season-high 54.5 percent (36-of-66) against LaGrange, the team's first performance of 50 percent or better this season and the highest mark since Dec. 6, 2006, when the Eagles hit 54.7 percent (35-of-64) in a 91-62 win over the University of the South ... Emory's 36 field goals against LaGrange represented a season-high and was the highest total for a regulation game since Nov. 29, 2005, when the Eagles converted 36 against South ... The Eagles were deadly from distance against the Panthers, hitting a season-best 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from beyond the arc, the highest percentage since Feb. 13, 2005, when the Eagles went 8-of-11 against Carnegie Mellon ... Senior Dan Smith (Weston, FL) totaled a career-high 20 points against Maryville while classmate Seth Kramer (Winter Park, FL) posted a career-best 18 points the following day against LaGrange ...  Sophomore Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) has at least one three-point field goal in all five games and is shooting 45.0 percent from distance, good for the No. 12 position among all UAA players ... The Eagles were credited with 16 steals in the LaGrange game, the highest total by an Emory squad since March 1, 2003, when it registered 17 thefts ... Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) cracked the 1,300 career-point plateau last weekend and checks into the Huntingdon game with 1,315 points, good for the No. 4 spot on the school's all-time list ... Ferderigos has scored in double figures in 65 of 78 career contests ... Through games played Nov. 25, the Eagles are shooting 75.8 percent from the foul line, good for the No. 2 position among UAA teams ... Sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) is averaging a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game, good for the No. 5 position on the UAA chart ... Dan Smith has hit 19-of-20 from the foul line and his 95.0 percent mark places him second among UAA cagers. 

ON THE HORIZON - Following its trip to Montgomery on Saturday, the Eagles will play at cross town rival Oglethorpe University on Thursday, Dec. 6, in an 8:00 p.m. start.  Emory's next home game will be on Saturday, Dec. 8, when it battles Maryville in a 4:00 p.m. tip.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM RACES BY LaGRANGE COLLEGE

(Nov. 25) - Emory senior Seth Kramer scored a career-high 18 points while classmate Spiros Ferderigos added 17 along with a team-high six rebounds in helping the Eagles to a convincing 89-72 win over LaGrange College Sunday afternoon in the Maryville College Thanksgiving Classic.  The win upped Emory's record to 2-3 while LaGrange slipped to 1-4.

Kramer connected on eight-of-12 field goal attempts while Ferderigos hit on seven-of-nine.  The pair helped the Eagles shoot a season-high 54.5 percent from the field (36-of-66).  Junior John Kresse totaled 12 points and dished out five assists while Brian Giometti totaled eight points and six assists.  Emory was sharp from long range, hitting on 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from three-point range, while converting nine-of-10 from the charity stripe.

"With this being our fifth game in eight days, I felt that we did a good job in preparing to play and came out with a great deal of energy in the first half," Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said.  "This stretch will help us down the road in UAA play and we tried to use today's game as much as we could in getting ready like it was the second game of a UAA weekend.

"We are still trying to play 40 minutes of consistent basketball and I believe that we are getting better in achieving that."

Emory returns to action next Saturday afternoon (Dec. 1) when it plays at Huntingdon College.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM DROPS NAILBITER AT MARYVILLE

(Nov. 24) - Emory senior Dan Smith scored a career-high 20 points and sophomore Anthony Fernandez added 13 but it wasn't enough as the Eagles saw a second-half rally fall short against Maryville College Saturday evening as the Scots escaped with a 75-72 win.  The loss dropped Emory's record to 1-3 while Maryville boosted its record to 2-0.

Smith scored 14 of his points in the second half and led a comeback from a 12-point deficit that the Eagles faced during the early stages of the second half.  Trailing by a 46-34 margin, Smith scored Emory's next eight points in an 8-2 run that cut the deficit to 48-42.  After a Maryville basket, the Eagles countered with a 9-0 run, sparked by five points by sophomore Daniel Curtin and two points apiece by senior Seth Kramer and Fernandez, that enabled Emory to take its first lead of the night at 51-50 with 10:30 left on the clock.

The teams traded baskets with Fernandez's bucket giving the visiting Eagles a 51-50 edge with 8:50 on the clock.  A pair of free throws by the Scots' Alex Bowers culminated a 7-1 Maryville spurt and gave it 59-54 advantage.  Emory stayed within striking distance and used three-point plays by senior Spiros Ferderigos and junior Malick Valliani to trail by just one point, 61-60, with five minutes remaining.  Trailing by a 66-64 count, Smith knocked down a three-point shot that put Emory back in front with 1:45 on the clock.  Over the next frantic 60 seconds each team retook the lead twice with a Smith trey giving the Eagles a 72-70 lead.  However, his three-pointer would be the team's final points of the evening.   A basket by Maryville senior Alex Bowers with 15 seconds left gave the Scots a 73-72 edge and they added two more points on the strength of a pair of charity tosses by Jared Laverdiere with four seconds left to close out the game's scoring.

Maryville used some timely shooting from three-point range in taking a 42-34 lead at halftime. The Scots drained seven-of-13 opportunities from beyond the arc compared to Emory's one-of-ten effort. The Eagles ended the contest shooting 46.7 percent from the floor (28-of-60) compared to Maryville's mark of 42.8 percent (25-of-59).

"In the first half we gave their shooters too many open looks and subsequently we dug ourselves a hole," Head Coach Jason Zimmerman said. "In the second half we did a better job of finding their shooters. That allowed us to make a run that put us in a position to win the game.

"I thought the we got some good contributions from players off the bench after some of our guys got in foul trouble," Zimmerman continued. "Malick Valliani came in and performed well as did Brian Giometti. Plus, Dan Smith hit some tough shots down the stretch that were big."

Emory will play LaGrange College on Sunday afternoon in a 2:00 p.m. start at Maryville.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM TO PLAY AT MARYVILLE COLLEGE
THANKSGIVING CLASSIC
           
(Nov. 23) - CLASSIC FACTS - After posting its first win of the 2007-08 season, the Emory men's basketball team hits the road to play in Maryville College's Thanksgiving Classic this Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 24-25).  The Eagles will take on host Maryville College on Saturday in a 7:30 p.m. start before meeting LaGrange College on Sunday in a 2:00 p.m. tip.  All games will be played at the Boydson Baird Gymnasium in the Cooper Athletic Center on the Maryville campus.


THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94.)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Randy Lambert (Maryville, ‘76) is in his 28th season as head coach at Maryville. During his tenure, Lambert has compiled a school and career record of 502-222 and ranks 11th in the nation among active Division III coaches in victories.

In his sixth season as head coach of the Panthers of LaGrange College is Warren Haynes (LaGrange, 1998).  Entering this weekend's action, Haynes has a school and career won-lost ledger of 62-73.  Last season, Haynes guided the program to a 18-9 mark which represented the most wins by a Panthers' squad in 13 seasons.

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory heads into the weekend with a 1-2 record.  The Eagles notched their first win of the season on Tuesday when they topped Washington & Lee by a 76-72 margin.  Leading Emory's scoring attack in that contest was senior Dan Smith and junior John Kresse with 14 points apiece.  Sophomore Anthony Fernandez was the club's top rebounder with a career-high 12 boards.

Maryville will entertain the Eagles with a 1-0 mark.  The Scots opened their season with a 74-60 triumph over Averett University on Nov. 17.

LaGrange, who will open play in the Classic against Oglethorpe on Saturday, stands 1-2 following an 85-71 win over the University of the South on Tuesday.

SERIES RECORDS -  In  a series that began in 2001, Emory holds a 9-2 all-time record against LaGrange.  The teams split a pair of overtime decisions last year with Emory capturing a 96-93 outcome on its home court while the Panthers answered with a 91-77 triumph at LaGrange.

 Maryville posts a 12-5 edge in the series against Emory that started in 1990.  The Scots and Eagles split two contests last season with Emory winning, 93-82, at the Woodruff PE Center and the Scots registering a 95-52 triumph at Maryville.  Maryville has won four of the last five contests and stands 6-0 against Emory in games played on its home floor.

EMORY NOTES - Emory's win over Washington & Lee upped the program's all-time record to 17-5 in home-opening games ... Anthony Fernandez's 12 caroms in the Washington & Lee game was the first double-digit performance by an Emory player this season and was the second time this year that he finished as the team's top rebounder ... John Kresse's career-high 14 points against Washington & Lee was his first double-figure scoring effort as an Eagle ... Sophomore Daniel Curtin has at least one three-point field goal in all three games and is shooting a team-high 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from beyond the arc ... Emory's 91.7 percent mark from the foul line (22-of-24) in the Washington & Lee game tied for the fifth-highest mark in school history and was the third-highest effort when converting 20 or more from the charity stripe ... Senior Spiros Ferderigos totaled 11 points in the Washington & Lee game, his third straight effort of double digits this season and 64th in 76 career games ... Ferderigos is No. 4 on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,291 points.

ON THE HORIZON - Following its appearance in the Maryville College Thanksgiving Classic, the Eagles face a road test at Huntingdon College on Saturday, Dec. 1, starting at 4:00 p.m. (CST).

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM EDGES WASHINGTON & LEE

(Nov. 20) - Emory senior Dan Smith and junior John Kresse each scored 14 points to lead four double-figure scorers and the Eagles used clutch free throw shooting down the stretch in posting a come-from-behind 76-72 win over Washington & Lee Tuesday evening in a game played at the Woodruff PE Center on the Emory campus.  The win marked Jason Zimmerman's first triumph as Emory's head coach and raised the squad's record to 1-2.  The setback dropped Washington & Lee's record to 0-3.

Trailing by 67-61 margin with 5:04 left in the game, the Eagles knotted the contest at 68-68 following a three-point field goal by sophomore Daniel Curtin with 2:50 on the clock. Emory took the lead for good with 2:26 remaining when Smith knocked down a pair of free throws.  It was first of eight straight free throw conversions for the Eagles who accounted for their final eight points of the contest from the charity stripe.  Smith accounted for six of those makes while Curtin sank a pair with 10 ticks left on the clock that closed out the game's scoring.

Washington and Lee was successful on 50.9 percent from the floor (28-of-55) compared to Emory's 41.1 percent (23-of-56).  However, the Eagles turned in a stellar effort from the foul line, sinking 22-of-24 including all 16 opportunities in the second half of play.  Sophomore forward Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) established a career best by snaring a game-high 12 rebounds which helped Emory post a 37-28 in the rebounding department.  The Eagles also enjoyed a hefty 34-14 advantage in bench points with Smith accounting for his entire total via that route and complemented by Curtin's eight points and junior Brian Giometti's 10 points.  Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) picked up 11 points, his third double-digit outing of the campaign.

After the teams battled to a 38-38 standoff at halftime, Emory edged ahead, 61-57, with 10:31 remaining.  However, the Generals held Emory scoreless over a five-minute, twenty-seven second span while scoring 10 straight points to take the 67-61 lead. 

"It was a good team win with a lot of players contributing at crucial times," Zimmerman said after the game.  "We are trying to improve every time out and thought that we accomplished that with the win this evening."

Emory returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 24, when it plays at Maryville College.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM MAKES 2007-08 HOME DEBUT
           
(Nov. 19) - GAME FACTS - The 2007-08 Emory men's basketball team makes its home debut on Tuesday (Nov. 20) when it battles Washington and Lee University.  The Woodruff PE Center will be the site of the 14th meeting between the Eagles and Generals and tip is slated for 7:00 p.m.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94.)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Adam Hutchinson (Amherst, ‘93) is in his fifth season as head coach at Washington and Lee.  Prior to his current post, Hutchinson served as head coach at Case Western Reserve University for two seasons. 

2007-08 RECORDS - Emory checks into its home opener with a 0-2 record.  The Eagles played at the Lon Varnell Classic last weekend and came out on the short end of a 72-64 decision to UT-Tyler and an 85-66 verdict to host University of the South. 

Washington & Lee opened their season at the Rose City Classic hosted by Drew University and dropped games to Drew, 57-55 in overtime, and 79-74 to Ursinus.

SERIES RECORDS -  In  a series that dates from 1987, Washington & Lee enjoys  a slim 7-6 record against Emory.  Last year, the Generals hosted Emory and picked up a 69-57 win  that snapped a three-game Eagles' winning streak in the series.  Each team has picked up three wins on Emory's home court.

HOME OPENERS - Emory will bring a home-opening record of 16-5 into Tuesday's game.  The Eagles have won their last three home openers including last season's 96-93 overtime triumph against LaGrange College.  Leading the Emory effort in that game was Spiros Ferderigos with 28 points.

EMORY NOTES - Senior Spiros Ferderigos started last weekend in sixth place on the school's all-time scoring list and moved up to the No. 4 position following his 43-point weekend ... Ferderigos now has 1,280 points to his credit ... Ferderigos has played in 75 games over the course of his career and owns 63 double-figure scoring contests including 22 outings of 20 or more points ... Sophomore Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL) made his first collegiate starts over the weekend and registered a career-high nine rebounds against UT-Tyler before totaling a career-best 12 points against Sewanee ... Senior Seth Kramer (Winter Park, FL) drew his first career starting assignment when he took the floor against South and he responded with career highs in both points (8) and rebounds (7).

ON THE HORIZON - Following its home opener, the Eagles take to road to play in the Maryville College Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 24-25.  Emory will play Maryville on the 24th before taking on LaGrange on Nov. 25.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL SQUAD FALLS TO UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH

(Nov. 18) - The University of the South built a 23-point lead in the first half and then withstood a furious Emory rally before pulling away for an 85-66 win in the final game of the Lon Varnell Classic.  The loss dropped the Eagles' record to 0-2 while the host Tigers upped their mark to 2-0.  

Leading the Emory effort was senior guard Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) with 21 points and six rebounds.  Sophomore forward Anthony Fernandez (Miami) totaled 12 points and six rebounds while sophomore guard Daniel Curtin rounded out the Eagles' double-figure scorers with 10 points.  Senior Seth Kramer (Winter Park, FL), making his first career start, pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

Sewanee shot a blistering 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the floor in the first half, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from three-point range, in taking a 48-33 lead into the locker room at halftime.  After a three-pointer by senior Dan Smith (Weston, FL) gave Emory a 12-10 advantage with 14:51 left in the first half, the Tigers went on a 19-0 scoring burst over the next four minutes and thirty seconds that gave them a 29-12 advantage.  Sewanee kept the pressure up and a Casey Berry layup boosted the Tigers' lead to 44-21 with 4:55 left in the first stanza.  The Eagles stayed within reach by closing out the half with a 12-4 run, with Ferderigos scoring five points.

Emory came out firing early in the second half, hitting its first five shots from the floor and using seven points by Ferderigos and six by Fernandez in a 13-3 burst that drew the Eagles to 50-46 with 15:05 left on the clock.  Emory kept on the Tigers' heels and a three-pointer by Curtin cut the deficit to 59-57 with 10:47 left.  Sewanee responded with a 10-2 run of its own to increase its cushion to 10 before a Federigos jumper with 7:35 remaining cut the gap to eight.  That would be as close as the Eagles would get as South scored the game's next six points to take a 14-point lead with 5:03 on the clock.

Emory shot 50 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes to finish the contest with a 41.8 percent effort (23-of-55).  Sewanee knocked down 57.1 percent of its opportunities (28-49) and drained 12-of-22 (.54.5%) from three-point range.  The Eagles totaled 34 rebounds compared to Sewanee's 33.  Ferderigos was the lone Emory player to be named to the all-tournament team.Emory will make its home debut on Tuesday, Nov. 20, when it plays host to Washington & Lee College in a 7:00 p.m. start.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL SQUAD OPENS '07-08 REGULAR SEASON AT
LON VARNELL CLASSIC
           
CLASSIC FACTS - The Emory men's basketball team begins the 2007-08 regular season this Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 17-18) when it participates in the Lon Varnell Classic.  Joining the Eagles in the three-team tourney are host University of the South and UT-Tyler.  Emory takes on UT-Tyler on Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. (CST) start before meeting South on Sunday in another 1:00 p.m. tip. 

UT-Tyler and South get things underway on Friday evening in a 7:00 p.m. contest.

THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is first-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, '94.)  Named head coach in April, Zimmerman came to Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07).  Prior to his stint with the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven years (1996-97 through 2002-03).

Kenny Bizot (Mississippi College, ‘94) is in his first season at UT-Tyler.  Bizot joined the Patriots program after a one-year stint as head coach at Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, Mississippi.  Prior to his tenure at Jackson Prep, Bizot spent four years as an assistant coach at Mississippi College.

In his 14th year as head coach of South-Sewanee is Joe Thoni (South, '79).  During his career, Thoni has compiled a school and career record of 170-181 and has guided the Tigers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.   

2006-07 RECORDS - Emory closed out the 2006-07 season with an overall record of 8-17 including a 2-12 mark in University Athletic Association contests.

The Eagles made their '07-08 debut on Nov. 9 with a 120-56 exhibition setback at Division I opponent Davidson College.  Leading Emory in scoring in that affair was sophomore guard Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) with 11 points.

UT-Tyler looks to bounce back after a 6-18 campaign from a year ago.  A member of the American Southwest Conference, the Patriots posted a 5-15 league slate last season and were picked to finish fourth in the ASC East Division this season.

The University of the South is coming off a 6-19 record from a year ago.  The Tigers concluded the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference portion of the schedule with a 5-9 effort.

SERIES RECORDS -  In  a series that dates from 1987, Emory claims a 24-17 all-time mark against South.  The Eagles have won the last 10 meetings between the schools including a pair of contests last year, 78-61 at Sewanee (Nov. 30) and 91-62 at home (Dec. 6).  The Tigers stand 12-9 against Emory in games played at South.

SEASON OPENERS - Entering this weekend, Emory posts a 13-8 record in season-opening games.  The Eagles have dropped their last two opening games including last year's 89-71 setback at Division I Mercer University.  Emory is 4-7 in season openers that have been played either on the road or on neutral courts. 

EMORY PLAYERS TO WATCH - The Eagles return nine letterwinners from last year's team including one starter.  Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) is coming off a productive '06-07 season that saw him average team highs in points (17.6 ppg), rebounds (5.9 rpg) and assists (4.5 apg).  A second team All-UAA selection last season, the 6-foot-1 Ferderigos was the No. 2 scorer among UAA players and posted double digits in points in 20 of his 23 appearances.  He totaled 20 or more points on nine occasions and his 35-point explosion against Case Western in the final game of the year represented the high-water mark by all UAA players.  Ferderigos enters the year ranked sixth in career scoring at Emory with 1,177 points.

While Ferderiogs is the lone returning starter, there are a number of other players who saw considerable action last season who look to increase their contributions.  Junior John Kresse (Charleston, SC) played in 23 games last year and could emerge as a regular starter in the backcourt.  Two other cagers who saw their '06-07 campaigns cut short by injuries eagerly look forward to this season and their play could provide a big boost to the fortunes of the Emory program.  Senior sharpshooter Dan Smith (Weston, FL) was averaging 10.0 points and shot 40.7 percent from three-point range before being shelved and sophomore forward Anthony Fernandez (Miami, FL), 6-foot-3,  impressed with his hard-nosed and opportunistic style of play.

UT-TYLER PLAYERS TO WATCH --  The Patriots welcome back their top three point producers from a year ago including senior guard Mirada Reed (10.5 ppg) and junior guard Anthony Reese (9.1 ppg).  Reese also grabbed a team-high 4.5 rebounds per contest while senior forward Mike Smith, 6-foot-6, snatched 4.4 boards per outings, good for the No. 2 spot on the team.   Senior forward Anthony Hightower, 6-foot-6, averaged 8.3 points and shot 52.3 percent from the floor.

SOUTH PLAYERS TO WATCH --  The Tigers will be looking for players to pick up the slack left by the departure of four of the top five scorers.  The top returning point producer is junior forward Ben Pursell, 6-foot-6, who averaged 9.7 points while shooting a team-high 51.5 percent (84-of-163) from the floor.  Pursell also picked up a team-high 6.4 rebounds per outing. 

ON THE HORIZON - The Eagles play on their home court for the first time this season on Tuesday, Nov. 20,  when they host Washington & Lee in a 7:00 p.m. start.

EMORY MEN'S BASKETBALL SQUAD FALLS TO DAVIDSON COLLEGE

(Nov. 10) - Davidson sophomore guard Stephen Curry totaled a game-high 27 points and paced five double-figure scorers as the NCAA Division I Wildcats treated their home fans to a 120-56 season-opening win over Emory.

Complementing Curry's performance was senior backcourt mate Jason Richards who totaled 14 points while dishing out 10 assists.  Curry and Richards combined for 15-of-22 from the floor including nine-of-14 from three-point range.

Emory sophomore guard Daniel Curtin (Great Barrington, MA) led Emory with 11 points, converting four-of-nine from the floor including three-of-five from three-point range.  Senior Spiros Ferderigos (Oldsmar, FL) totaled nine points and tied Curtin for team honors with four rebounds.

Davidson, who returned all five starters from last season's 29-5 team, shot 50 percent (46-of-92) from the field during the contest while holding the visiting Eagles to 30.6 percent (19-of-62).  The Wildcats were effective from long-range and knocked down 19-of-46 attempts from three-point range. 

Emory's next action takes place the weekend of Nov. 17-18 when it ventures to Sewanee, Tennessee, to take part in the Lon Varnell Classic hosted the University of the South.  The Eagles of Head Coach Jason Zimmerman will meet UT-Tyler on Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. start before battling South on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

EMORY BASKETBALL TANGLES WITH DAVIDSON COLLEGE

The 2007-08 edition of the Emory 's men's basketball team makes its debut on Friday, November 9, when it plays at NCAA Division I foe Davidson College.  The Eagles and Wildcats will square off at Belk Arena starting at 8:00 p.m.

It will be a homecoming of sorts for first-year Emory head coach Jason Zimmerman, who enjoyed a fine playing career for the Wildcats (1991-94) while also spending seven seasons (1996-97 through 2002-03) as an assistant coach.  In addition to Zimmerman, Emory assistant Coach Matt McKillop played at Davidson (2003-06) and is the son of Wildcats' Head Coach Bob McKillop, now in his 19th year at the helm of the program.

Emory returns nine letterwinners from last season's team that finished with an overall record of 8-17.  Headlining the cast of returning vets is senior guard Spiros Ferderigos who produced a team-high 17.6 points per game average last season, good for the No. 2 spot among University Athletic Association performers.  The 6-foot-1 Ferderigos, the school's No. 6 all-time leading scorer (1,177 pts.), scored in double figures in 20 of his 23 appearances a year ago and chalked up nine performances of 20 or more points.  In addition to his offensive exploits, Ferderigos finished prominently in other statistical categories in the UAA including rebounding (10th, 5.9 rpg), assists (5th, 4.52 apg), steals (1st, 2.17 spg).

While Ferderigos is the squad's lone returning starter, two players who saw their 2006-07 seasons cut short due to injury look to be significant contributors.  Senior guard Dan Smith, 5-foot-11, impressed with his long-range shooting ability and averaged 10.0 points over 12 games before being shelved with a knee injury.  Sophomore forward Anthony Fernandez, 6-foot-3, displayed a hard-nosed and opportunistic style of play in his nine appearances that has carried over into preseason drills.

Among the newcomers who look to emerge include juniors Malick Valliani, a 6-foot-6 forward, and 6-foot-2 guard Brian Giometti.  Zimmerman and the staff are also eager to see the contributions of freshmen guards Julien Williams and David Smith. 

While the Eagles return just one starter, Davidson returns all five from last year's squad that established a school record for victories in a season with an overall record of 29-5.  Among those back in the fold is sophomore Stephen Curry who ranked ninth nationally and second among all Division I freshmen in scoring with a team-best 21.5 points per-game effort.  The 6-foot-2 Curry, the 2006-07 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, broke the NCAA single-season freshman mark for three-point field goals with 122 treys.  Senior guard Jason Richards, 6-foot-2, was voted first team All-Southern Conference last season and scored at a 13.5 per-game clip while dishing out 7.3 assists per contest, good for the No. 2 spot nationally.

EMORY BASKETBALL FEATURE IN DAVIDSON COLLEGE'S WILDCAT REPORT

The basketball program at prestigious Emory University in Atlanta is going to have a distinctive Davidson flavor.

Jason Zimmerman, who played for coach Bob McKillop at Davidson for four years and then sat on his bench as a valued assistant coach for eight additional seasons, was named head coach of the Eagles in May. When it came time to name his full-time assistant coach, Zimmerman didn't leave the ranch. He appointed Matt McKillop (Davidson '06) to that position.

Zimmerman served as an assistant coach at Evansville University in Indiana for the past three seasons before getting his first chance to become a head coach at Emory.

Emory plays Division III basketball, which means it competes with the same tenacity and dreams as Division I, but without the benefit of awarding athletic scholarships. It's a pure way of playing the game, and Zimmerman says he's anxious to find out exactly how it all comes together. After all, his entire experience as a player and coach to this point has been at Division 1.

"I am tremendously excited to get my first head coaching opportunity at a great academic school that is much like Davidson," Zimmerman said. "The skills I learned and used under Coach McKillop at Davidson are proving to be invaluable to me here. I am learning to be a head coach, and it's an exciting experience."

Emory is a highly acclaimed academic school situated on a gorgeous campus in Atlanta that has 6,000 undergraduate students and about the same number of graduate students. Its undergraduate School of Business is ranked one of the best in the nation, and its Law School and School of Medicine have earned high marks.

Emory competes in the tough University Athletic Association (UAA), which is generally regarded among basketball people as the toughest Division III basketball league in the nation. For instance, four of its eight members earned berths in the NCAA tournament last season. In addition to Emory, the conference is comprised of New York University, Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Chicago, Brandeis University in Boston, the University of Rochester in New York and Case Western Reserve in Cleveland.

"We will be traveling to some of the greatest cities in the nation to play our conference schedule," Zimmerman told us. "That should be a big help to us as we try to recruit the excellent student and talented basketball player to Emory."

Since the campuses in the UAA are so spread out across the country, Emory will fly to each of its seven conference road games. The Eagles will play 14 conference games, and the champion of the conference is decided in the regular season. There is no conference tournament because of the distance between the eight campuses. Emory is allowed to play as many as 25 games in the regular season, so Zimmerman can schedule as many as 11 out-of-conference games.

Zimmerman understands full well that he and Matt McKillop face a learning curve in how to recruit to a Division III campus. Their task is to identify outstanding student-athletes who aren't quite good enough to play basketball for schools that award basketball scholarships. Or, better yet, find "sleepers" that the bigger schools overlooked. There's no limit to how many players Zimmerman could recruit each year, but the academic requirements at Emory will take care of that. It would be a great year if he could find as many as seven student-athletes that could play winning basketball and meet Emory's academic requirements.

"We're looking for that special young man who would consider himself fortunate to participate in this program and have the Emory experience," Zimmerman said. "Play winning basketball and get a great education."

He might not have basketball scholarships to award, but no grass is growing under his feet. While Division 1 coaches were all over the nation recruiting the top players in July, Zimmerman was in Dallas, Chicago, Louisville, West Virginia and Orlando in pursuit of recruits. Matt McKillop, meanwhile, recruited in New Jersey, Boston and Orlando.

"One of the really good things about our situation," Zimmerman said, "is that if we're good enough to win our conference, it means we'd be good enough to compete for a national championship. That's how good our league is."

Emory has basketball facilities that Zimmerman calls "excellent," and sits on a campus that he describes as "beautiful." "Everything they do here is nice," he says. "The way they cut the grass, prune the shrubs, keep up the facilities. It's first class."

Emory lost six players from last year's team that played a lot. One player who Zimmerman says is one of the best in the conference is back. Eleven others who didn't play extensively also return. The record last year was 8-17, so there is obviously some rebuilding to do.

In addition to Matt McKillop, Zimmerman has a volunteer assistant by the name of Geno Morgan, who he says is a great help to him.

Zimmerman knew enough about Matt McKillop to name his assistant coach, even though he hadn't coached before. "I knew his work ethic," Zimmerman said. "And let me say that Matt's really going to be good in this profession. He has exceeded all of my expectations, including his work in recruiting. He made himself a player by his hard work and dedication, and he's bringing those same strengths with him into coaching."

There is one problem that Zimmerman is dealing with, though. "The first time I called him ‘Coach McKillop,' I caught myself. Hey, that didn't sound right. I called one person Coach McKillop. I'm not sure how I'll address him on the practice court, but I am sure he'll do a great job."

Coach Bob McKillop says he expects Zimmerman to have an excellent career as a head coach.

"I'm thrilled that Jason has this chance to be a head coach, particularly at such a highly respected school," Coach McKillop said. "His loyalty to the Davidson basketball family has always been clearly evident. Adding another Davidson basketball alum to his staff as assistant coach demonstrates that loyalty, and also gives Emory another young, talented basketball coach. Jason and Matt will make a terrific team."

Zimmerman, his wife Traci and two children, Trevor and Taylor, moved into their new Atlanta home on August 1. It's about a 20-minute drive to his campus office.

"My family is thrilled to be here, as am I," Zimmerman said. "I'm really looking forward to this job and making Emory basketball as good as it can be. The experiences I had at Davidson as a player and assistant for Coach McKillop will certainly help me, that's for sure."

Written by John Kilgo, Wildcat Report