Sophomore Matt Davet paced four double-figure scorers with 20 points in helping the Emory men's basketball team to a Friday evening win at Brandeis University. The Eagles won for the fifth straight time and raised their overall record to 15-4, 6-2 in the University Athletic Association, following an 88-64 triumph over the Judges who fell to 11-8 in overall action, 4-4 in the conference. The win allowed Emory to maintain a share of first place in the league with Washington University and the University of Chicago.
Davet finished the contest eight-of-14 from the floor and three-of-six from three-point range en route to his 16th double-figure effort of the season. Sophomore Nick Stuck picked up a career-high 18 points, converting eight-of-nine field goal attempts, including his lone three-point try, in chalking up his fifth double-digit effort of the campaign. Sophomore Lawrence Rowley dialed up 15 points, hitting seven-of-12 field goals, and topped the club with eight rebounds. Classmate Romin Williams rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 points, nine coming in the second half, while doling out a team-high six assists.
Emory wrapped up the game shooting 50 percent from the floor for the fourth time in the past five games, converting 35-of-70 attempts, including 34.6 percent (9-of-24) from distance. The Judges were successful on 49 percent (24-of-49) of their field goal opportunities and shot a solid 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from three-point range. The Eagles enjoyed a decided 40-23 bulge in rebounding, the eighth time this year they posted an advantage of 10 or more in that category. Emory turned the ball over just eight times compared to BU's 19 miscues, which helped the Eagles generate a 28-7 edge in the points-off-turnovers department.
Emory opened the second half on a 15-4 spurt, highlighted by a pair of triples by Williams and one from Davet, which extended a five-point halftime lead to 56-40. After the Judges countered with back-to-back treys, Williams knocked down another triple and Davet scored the last five points of an 8-0 Emory surge that pushed it to an 18-point lead with 11:46 remaining. After a BU bucket, the Eagles used four points each by Stuck and Matt Schner as part of a 12-0 charge that extended their lead to 76-49 with 7:35 remaining.
Both teams shot the ball well during the opening 20 minutes of action with the Eagles hitting 53.1 percent (17-of-32) of their field goal tries while the Judges posted a mark of 55.6 percent (15-of-27). Brandeis jumped out to a 14-5 lead just five minutes into the game before Emory responded with a lethal 23-5 barrage, with Stuck scoring all of his 10 first-half points in that run, to claim a 28-19 advantage with 7:37 left. A bucket by Davet kept Emory up by nine points at 36-27 with 3:00 on the clock, but a triple by the Judges' Lawrence Sabir with 13 ticks on the clock cut Emory's margin to 41-36 heading into the break. Davet picked up 11 first-half points to pace the Eagles while Stuck connected on five-of-six from the floor.
Emory returns to action on Sunday when it plays at New York University in a noon tip.