GAME FACTS – The Emory men's basketball team begins a December stretch that will see it play all five of its games during the month at the Woodruff PE Center. The Eagles begin the slate of home dates on Saturday (Dec. 1) when it entertains Trinity University in a 4:00 pm tip. On Wednesday (Dec. 5), LaGrange College comes to town for a 7:00 pm contest.
THE COACHES – Jason Zimmerman (Davidson, 1994) is in his 12th year of patrolling the Emory sideline. Named head coach in April of 2007, 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).
During his tenure with the Eagles, he ranks as the program's winningest coach, compiling a school and career record of 198-99. In games played at the Woodruff PE Center, Zimmerman posts a 113-28 ledger and an 85-71 mark in road/neutral settings.
He has guided Emory to nine straight winning seasons and six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). The Eagles are the lone D-III school to have won at least one NCAA contest in each of the past six years.
After going 17-33 his first two years at Emory, Zimmerman has compiled a won-lost slate of 181-66 (.737) since the 2009-10 season.
Pat Cunningham (Kalamazoo College, '74) is in his 20th campaign as the head coach at Trinity. Heading into a Friday game at Oglethorpe, Cunningham, the winningest coach in program history, had amassed a record of 335-190. He has guided the Tigers to nine trips to the NCAA Tournament and seven Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships. In 32 seasons as a head coach, Cunningham stands at 487-352, with his win total ranking in the top 20 of active D-III coaches.
In his eighth year as head coach at LaGrange is Kendal Wallace. Prior to a Nov. 30 bout at Covenant College, Wallace has posted a school record of 114-84. He has directed the Panthers' program to four NCAA Tournament berths and three USA South Tournament Championships.
2018-19 RECORDS – No. 23-ranked Emory will square off with Trinity looking to snap a two-game losing streak that has left its record at 4-2. In their most recent outing, the Eagles dropped an 83-70 outcome at Sewanee on Wednesday. Emory held a four-point lead at halftime but saw the host Tigers record of 42-25 scoring advantage over the final 20 minutes of action in coming away with the victory. Sophomore Romin Williams led the Eagles with 16 points while classmates Matt Schner and Lawrence Rowley each tallied 12 points and tie for game honors with nine rebounds.
Emory is 1-1 in home games and 3-1 in away/neutral contests this season.
Trinity will meet Oglethorpe in hopes of getting its first win of the season after dropping its first five contests. The Tigers hosted the Leslie Robinson Invitational last weekend and fell to No. 6 Whitworth, 76-65, and Texas-Dallas, 78-64.
LaGrange will travel to Covenant College the owners of a 4-1 slate. The Panthers have won their last four outings and are coming off a 76-68 triumph at Piedmont on Tuesday.
SERIES RECORDS – Emory and Trinity have met on just one occasion, that coming on Dec. 5, 2014, at Washington University's Lopata Classic, where the Eagles prevailed by an 83-74 margin.
In a series that began in January of 2001, Emory holds a 19-7 all-time mark against LaGrange. The Panthers have won the last three encounters between the schools including last season's 84-80 decision at LaGrange. Emory stands 9-0 against the Panthers in games that have been played at the Woodruff PE Center.
ROWLEY FINDS THE MARK – Lawrence Rowley stands first on the team and fourth among University Athletic Association players (through Nov. 28) with a 59.6 percent effort from the floor, converting 34-of-57 field goal attempts. Rowley has shot 50 percent or better on four occasions and has three contests of 70 percent or higher, including both games at last weekend's Thanksgiving Classic where posted back-to-back efforts of 71.4 percent (5-of-7) against Maryville and Randolph-Macon.
EMORY ON THE GLASS – Emory has outrebounded five of its six opponents and ranks third among UAA teams with a +7.0 rebound margin. The Eagles are averaging a conference-best 43.7 boards per outing including a league-high 14.8 caroms on the offensive end of the floor, which has helped in registering an edge in the second-chance points category in five games.
Emory claims three of the UAA's top-10 rebounders, led by Rowley whose 8.8 per-game average is good for the No. 4 spot on the league ladder. Matt Schner and Matt Davet are tied for ninth at 7.0 rebounds per contest. The Rowely, Davet and Schner trio have either individually or collectively ranked as the team's top performers in rebound in all six games.
EMORY FEATURES BALANCED SCORING ATTACK – Through games played Nov. 28, Emory was averaging a league-high 88.8 points per game, thanks in part to a balanced scoring attack that has five players scoring in double figures.
Romin Williams sits atop the squad's scoresheet and is third in the conference with a 17.8 points per-game mark, scoring in double digits in his last five contests. Matt Davet, who had a five-game double-figure scoring streak snapped in the Sewanee game, is fifth among the league leaders in scoring average (16.7 ppg), while Lawrence Rowley is one spot behind Davet at 15.7 ppg. Other Eagles averaging in double figures include senior Gebereal Baitey (10.2 ppg) and Matt Schner (10.0 ppg).
EAGLES AND THE CENTURY MARK – Emory's 109 points vs. Keuka College (Nov. 17) tied the program's sixth-highest game total in school annals while representing the 49th time in program history that it reached the century mark with the Eagles posting a 45-4 record in such contests. In tied the second-highest point total by a Zimmerman-coached Emory team
During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory has 18 contests of 100 or more points and stands 17-1 in those games.
EMORY RAINS THREES DOWN ON KEUKA – The Eagles tied a school single-game record with 18 three-point field goals in the Keuka game. Emory knocked down 18-of-43 from beyond the arc against the Wolves, tying the total from the Dec. 6, 2005 game at Sewanee (111-105 overtime win). The Eagles' 43 attempts established a school record, topping the 40 tries launched at Oglethorpe on Jan. 2, 2018.
Emory has 10 or more treys in three games this year and its average of 10.0 triples per game tops the UAA.
WILLIAMS TIES SCHOOL MARK FOR THREE POINTERS – Romin Williams tied a school single-game record when he sank eight three-point field goals against Keuka College. Williams totaled seven first-half triples en route to racking up 28 points during the opening 20 minutes of play, which helped the Eagles race to a 63-40 halftime lead. He closed out the game with a career-high 32 points, sinking eight-of-18 from beyond the arc in the process and tying Alex Gulotta (vs. Guilford, Nov. 20, 2010) and Richard Somers (vs. LaGrange, Nov. 16, 2001) for the school record.
EMORY PICKED AS TEAM TO BEAT IN UAA – Emory was picked as the team to beat in the University Athletic Association in a preseason poll conducted by the league coaches. The Eagles picked up six of the eight first-place votes cast and recorded 48 points. The University of Rochester was tabbed for second, receiving the other two first-place ballots and totaling 42 points.
DID YOU KNOW -- Since the 2010-11 season, Emory has the No. 1 record among UAA teams in overall (166-56) play and the second-best mark in league action (80-32) .… Washington University has the conference's second-best overall ledger (159-56) and the top slate in conference play (83-29) … That Emory has at least one three-point field goal in its last 550 games -- The last time the Eagles failed to convert from beyond the arc came on Feb. 14, 1997, vs. Washington University (0-of-6) … Emory was won 48 of its last 49 games when allowing 69 or fewer points (1-0 in 2018-19, 11-0 in '17-18, 7-1 in '16-17, 13-0 in '15-16, 16-0 in '14-15) … Emory posts a 24-2 ledger in games since the 2016-17 season when it has converted 10 or more three-pointers in a contest (3-0 in '18-19, 10-0 in 2017-18).
NOTES – Emory's 96-93 overtime win over Maryville (Nov. 24) represented the program's 15th straight home-opening victory and boosted the program's all-time mark to 28-5 … The Eagles' 83-70 setback to Randolph-Macon last Sunday ended the program's 37-game win streak at home against non-league opponents … That dating from last year Romin Williams has three-point field goals in his last 14 contests … Since the 2012-13 season, the Eagles are 102-6 when outshooting the opposition from the floor (3-0 in 2018-19, 16-1 in '17-18, 17-1 in '16-17, 12-3 in '15-16, 18-0 in '14-15) … During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory stands 160-20 when leading at halftime (4-1 in 2018-19, 19-1, in '17-18, 13-0 in '16-17; 18-3 in 2015-16) … Emory is 95-12 (.887) over its last 107 home contests … The Eagles have recorded 100 or more points 49 times in program history and own a 44-5 won-lost record in those affairs … During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory has 18 contests of 100 or more points and stands 17-1 in such games … The Eagles have outscored the opposition in eight halves while being outpointed in four … Over the last three games, opponents are shooting 49.7 percent (96-of-193) from the floor vs. Emory's mark of 44.1 percent (89-of-202) … Senior Gebereal Baitey posts 86 career steals and has recorded 25 contests with two or more thefts to his credit … Lawrence Rowley has two double-doubles to his credit this season … The Eagles have scored 50 or more points in a half on three occasions, and their 63 first-half points against Keuka represented the second-highest total by a Zimmerman-coached team … Emory has chalked up 10 or more steals in two games and enjoys a 103-76 edge in the points-off-turnovers category.