GAME FACTS – The Emory University men's basketball team will turn its attention to its final regular-season road trip this weekend, starting with a Friday evening (Feb. 15) contest against Case Western Reserve followed by a Sunday afternoon tilt vs. Carnegie Mellon University.
Horsburgh Gymnasium on the Case Western campus will serve as the site of the 54th match-up between the Eagles and CWRU with tip slated for 8:00 pm. On Sunday, the scene shifts to Skibo Gymnasium on the Carnegie Mellon campus for the 63rd contest between Emory and the Tartans, with that affair starting at noon.
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 211-102. In games played at the Woodruff PE Center, Zimmerman posts a 123-29 ledger and claims an 88-73 mark in road/neutral settings. In UAA contests, Zimmerman has amassed a record of 100-65.
He has guided Emory to 10 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 194-69 (.739) since the 2009-10 season.
The Case Western Reserve program is led by third-year Head Coach Todd McGuinness (Bethany, '02). Heading into Friday's game, McGuinness has compiled a school ledger of 29-43. In 10 years as a head coach, which includes a seven-year stint at Hartwick (2009-10 through 2015-16), McGuinness owns a career record of 143-115.
Now in his 29th year of patrolling the Carnegie Mellon sideline is Tony Wingen (Springfield, '82). Wingen will take a school won-lost mark of 322-401 into a Friday night home against Rochester. Now in his 31st campaign as a head coach, Wingen starts the weekend with a career effort of 343-429.
2018-19 RECORDS – Emory stands 17-5 overall and is tied with the University of Rochester for first place in the UAA with a ledger of 8-3. The Eagles split a pair of home games last weekend, defeating Washington University on Friday, 105-82, before seeing a seven-game win streak snapped on Sunday when the University of Chicago rallied for a 114-107 win. Sophomore Romin Williams landed UAA Player of the Week honors after ranking as the team's leading scorer at 29.0 points over the two contests, shooting 51.2 percent (21-of-41) from the floor including 44 percent (11-of-25) from three-point range. Williams produced a game-high 31 points in the Wash U game before leading all players in the Chicago outing with a 27-point afternoon, 18 coming on six-of-14 shooting from three-point range. The Eagles are receiving votes in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.
Emory is 11-2 in home games and 6-3 in away/neutral contests this season.
Case Western hosts Emory with an overall mark of 9-13, 2-9 in league play. The Spartans are coming off road losses to Brandeis (81-71) and New York University (71-66 in overtime). CWRU stands 7-6 in home games this year.
Carnegie Mellon will bring an overall slate of 10-12, 5-6 in the UAA, into its Friday game vs. Rochester. This past weekend, the Tartans lost at Brandeis by a 72-68 score before bouncing back to claim a 70-66 triumph at New York University.
SERIES RECORDS – In a series that began in January of 1987, Emory holds an all-time mark of 33-20 vs. Case Western. The Eagles have won the last five meetings including a 91-74 outcome earlier this year (Jan. 18) in Atlanta. Sophomore Lawrence Rowley led the Eagles' scoring attack in that contest with 28 points while classmate Matt Schner recorded a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Each team claims 13 wins in games that have been played on Case Western's home court.
Emory sports a 40-22 advantage in the series with Carnegie Mellon. The Eagles have captured the last 10 match-ups which includes the initial game of this year, a 116-100 decision back on Jan. 20. Schner keyed the win with a game-high 30 points and a team-leading nine rebounds. CMU stands 17-14 against Emory in games contested on its home court, though the Eagles have made up some ground with wins in their last six visits to Pittsburgh.
EMORY USES THE THREE-BALL – After hitting just four three-point field goals in its game at New York University (Feb. 3), the Eagles found the mark from distance in its two home endeavors this past weekend. The Eagles sank 14 treys against Wash U before knocking down a dozen against Chicago, ending the two-game set with an effort of 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from beyond the arc.
Emory ranks first in the UAA and stood 28th nationally through Feb. 11 with an average of 10.5 treys per game. The Eagles have registered 10 or more treys in six of their last eight and in a total of 12 contests. Emory stands 11-1 this year when finishing with 10 or more three-point field goals.
Entering the Case Western game on Friday, Emory has been successful on 35.9 percent (232-of-647) of its triple tries, good for the No. 3 spot among UAA teams. In conference play, the Eagles are No. 2 behind Chicago (11.1 tpg) with an average of 10.4 three-pointers per outing. The team's 232 triples are tied for fifth on the program's seasonal ladder.
Earlier this year, the Eagles have converted a UAA-record 19 treys in the 116-77 victory over Trinity (Dec. 1).
The Eagles have had five or more players record three-pointers in 12 contests this season, highlighted by eight finding their way into the triple column vs. Keuka and seven in the Trinity and Brandeis (Jan. 25) tilts.
Earlier in the campaign, Emory tied a then-school record with 18 triples against Keuka College (Nov. 17).
WILLIAMS PUTTING UP POINTS – Romin Williams notched 27 points in the Chicago game, representing the 11th the in the past 12 contests that he registered double-figure scoring. A double-digit scorer on 19 occasions this year he leads the UAA in overall scoring average (18.0 ppg) while ranking third for only conference contests (18.4 ppg). Williams has scored 20 or more points a team-high nine times this year and has ranked as the Eagles' leading scorer in eight games.
SCHNER SCORES AND BOARDS – Matt Schner has emerged as a consistent and key member of the team's fortunes this year, and will enter the upcoming weekend with double-figure scoring to his credit in seven of his past eight and in a total of 16 contests this year. In the rebounding department, Schner has chalked up 12 outings with seven or more rebounds with a pair of double-figure performances to his credit in that department.
Schner starts the week with a scoring average of 13.3 points per game, good for the No. 4 spot on the team and 11th on the UAA chart. His 57.7 percent mark from the field is tops on the club and slots him seventh among league performers. He has shot 50 percent or better from the floor on 13 occasions. In the rebounding department he is second on the team and seventh on the conference list with a 6.9 per game average. He has either led or shared for team honors in rebounding on seven occasions including a club-high tying eight boards vs. Chicago last Sunday.
In league action only, Schner is tossing in 14.3 points, 9th on the conference ladder, and is second in field goal percentage (.626, 62-of-99).
DAVET PROVIDING PUNCH – Entering this weekend's contests, sophomore Matt Davet ranks third among UAA players in overall scoring average, registering a 16.7 points-per-game average mark. In league play, Davet is fourth on the UAA ladder at 17.2 points per game. In last Friday's win over Washington University, Davet came off the bench to pace all reserves in scoring while placing second on the club with 18 points. He then turned in a 19-point afternoon against Chicago which again ranked second on the Eagles' score sheet.
A double-digit scorer on 18 occasions this year, he has finished as the team's leading scorer on eight occasions. In addition, he has produced seven contest with 20 or more points. His 45 three-point field goals are second on the squad, and his average of 2.0 treys per game tied for the No. 8 spot on the UAA chart.
Career-wise, he has appeared in 50 contests and has chalked up 29 double-figure scoring performances.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL KEY FOR EMORY – Taking care of the ball has played a significant role in the team's success, posting a 13-1 mark when having fewer turnovers than the opposition (4-4 when having more turnovers). Including the 2017-18 campaign, Emory stands 29-4 when finishing with fewer miscues than the opposition. Emory closed out last Sunday's Chicago contest with nine turnovers turnovers, the sixth time this year it finished in single digits in that department.
Emory leads the UAA in turnover margin (+3.09) and ranks 48th in the D-III ranks in that stat through games played Feb. 11. The Eagles have registered the advantage in the points-off-turnovers category in 15 contests.
Through 11 UAA games, Emory is No. 1 in the league in turnover margin (+3.55). The Eagles have single-digit turnover numbers in five conference outings.
EMORY ON THE GLASS – Emory has outrebounded 16 opponents and enjoys a double-digit edge in that category in nine contests, most recently a 37-24 margin vs. Wash U last Friday (Feb. 8). Emory is averaging a conference-best 41.9 boards per outing including a league-high 14.5 caroms on the offensive end of the floor, helping it to an edge in second-chance points in 14 games.
Emory claims three of the UAA's top-13 rebounders, led by sophomore Lawrence Rowley whose 7.9 per-game average is good for third on the league ladder. Matt Schner (6.9 rpg) stands 7th on the conference chart while Matt Davet holds down the No. 13 slot (5.5 rpg).
The Rowely, Schner and Davet trio have either individually or collectively ranked as the team's top performers in rebound in in 20 outings with Rowley leading or tying for club honors in 12 games.
EMORY BENCH ANSWERING THE CALL – Emory has used its depth to its advantage this season as the Eagle reserves have outscored their counterparts by a 640 (29.1 ppg) to 493 (22.4 ppg) margin. Emory has recorded the advantage in the points-off-bench category in 17 contests and has seen the reserves total 40 or more points in four games.
OFFENSE IN AMPLE SUPPLY – Offense has been plentiful for Emory thus far, with the Eagles ranking first among UAA squads and 6th in Division III (through Feb. 11) with a 93.8 points per game average.
Emory has scored 90 or more points in 15 contests this year, and has cracked the 100-point plateau a school-record tying six times.
The Eagles' five straight outings of 90 or more points (Dec. 1 through Dec. 30) tied the 2013-14 squad (Nov. 23 – Dec.3, 2013) for the program's second-longest streak. The 1989-90 team holds the top mark with seven straight performances of 90 or more points (Jan. 5 – Jan. 26, 1990) en route to closing out that season with a school-record 17 contests of 90 or more points.
EMORY FEATURES BALANCED ATTACK -- Emory has employed a balanced scoring attack this year with four players averaging in double figures. Leading the scoring parade is Romin Williams at 18.0 points-per-game average, good for first place on the UAA ladder. Matt Davet is two spots behind Williams at 16.7 points per game while Lawrence Rowley holds down the No. 9 slot (14.0 ppg). Matt Schner rounds out the quartet with a 13.3 per-game effort, good for 11th among UAA players.
The Eagles have had five or more players score in double figures on 10 occasions this year.
EAGLES AND THE CENTURY MARK – Emory's back-to-back contests of 100-plus points in last weekend's games vs. Wash U and Chicago represented the fifth time in school history that it posted consecutive games of reaching or passing the century mark.
So far this year, the Eagles' have hung 100 or more points on the opposition six times, tying the 1988-89 squad for most games in a season with 100 or more points. Prior to last weekend, the most recent back-to-back outings of 100 or more points came Dec. 1, 2013 (106-84 vs. LaGrange) and Dec. 3, 2013 (110-76 vs. Covenant College).
The 1988-89 unit also holds the distinction of being the only club to rack up three straight games of 100 or more points:
Nov. 29, 1988 vs. Fisk (104-75)
Dec. 2, 1988 vs. Carnegie Mellon (103-90)
Dec. 3, 1988 vs. Case Western (100-77)
Emory's 116 points against Carnegie Mellon (Jan. 20) tied the program's single-game scoring record set earlier vs. Trinity University (Dec. 1). The 116 points erased the previous mark of 112 set against Sewanee on Nov. 29, 2005. Earlier this year (Nov. 17), the Eagles dialed up 109 points vs. Keuka College, which at the time tied the program's sixth-highest game total. Emory reached the century mark for the third time in the Wash U game (Jan. 11) when it dialed up 108 points, tying the program's 12th-highest game total.
In its history, Emory has scored 100 or more points 54 times and claims a 48-6 ledger in such outings. During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory has 23 contests of 100 or more points and stands 21-2 in those games.
ROWLEY FINDS THE MARK – Lawrence Rowley ranks second on the club and ninth among University Athletic Association players with a 55.6 percent effort from the floor, converting 115-of-207 field goal attempts. Rowley has shot 50 percent or better in eight of the team's 11 conference games (.556, 55-of-99) and in 15 games this year and has four contests of 70 percent or higher (three at home, one on the road).
SHARE THE BALL – Emory has displayed the trait of sharing the basketball with its average of 17.6 assists per game good for the No. 1 spot in the UAA and 24th among all D-III programs (through Feb. 11). The Eagles have doled out 20 or more assists seven times this year -- 29 vs. Trinity (Dec. 1), the third-highest mark in school history, 22 vs. East Texas Baptist (Dec. 30), 21 vs. Keuka (Nov. 17), 21 vs. Wash U (Jan. 11), 21 vs. Case Western (Jan. 18), 27 vs. Carnegie Mellon (Jan. 20) that tied the program's sixth-highest mark, and 21 vs. Brandeis (Feb. 1).
Emory's 388 assists ranks 7th on the program's seasonal chart.
Sophomore Nick Stuck paces the team and is tied for third in the conference with an average of 4.8 assists per game, while Romin Williams holds down the No. 6 position at 3.7 per contest. In addition, Stuck is first in the UAA and 12th in the D-III (through Feb. 3) in assist/turnover ratio (3.09).
EMORY'S HIGHEST-SCORING HALVES IN 2018-19
68 – vs. Carnegie Mellon (Jan. 20) – 1st Half
65 – vs. Trinity (Dec. 1) – 2nd Half
63 – vs. Keuka (Nov. 17) – 1st Half
57 – vs. Wash U (Feb. 8) – 1st Half
55 – vs. Chicago (Feb. 10) – 1st Half
55 – vs. Brandeis (Jan. 25) – 1st Half
55 – vs. Wash U (Jan. 11) – 2nd Half
55 – vs. College of Staten Island (Nov. 16) – 2nd Half
54 – vs. Piedmont (Nov. 11) – 2nd Half
53 – vs. Wash U (Jan. 11) – 1st Half
52 – vs. Chicago (Feb. 10) – 2nd Half
52 – vs. NYU (Jan. 27) – 2nd Half
51 – vs. East Texas Baptist (Dec. 30) – 2nd Half
51 – vs. Trinity (Dec. 1) – 1st Half
50 – vs. Oswego State (Dec. 29) – 2nd Half
WILLIAMS A LONG-RANGE THREAT – Romin Williams tops the UAA with an average of 3.23 three-point field goals per game, with that effort slotting him 40th nationally. Williams has drained three or more triples in seven of his last nine and in a total of 12 games this year, and has tied the school's single-game record of eight treys twice this season – most recently against East Texas Baptist (Dec. 30) when he went eight-of-13 from distance, and the first time against Keuka College (Nov. 17), seven of which came during the opening 20 minutes of play. Williams finished that contest with a career-high 32 points. Romin currently owns a 12-game streak with at least one three-point field.
Williams is one of three players in school annals to hit eight three-pointers in a game, joining Alex Gulotta (vs. Guilford, Nov. 20, 2010) and Richard Somers (vs. LaGrange, Nov. 16, 2001) in that club.
Career-wise, Williams has appeared in 49 games and his 134 three-point field goals stands on the program's all-time ladder, six shy of tying Alex Foster (2011-15) for ninth place.
STRONG FROM THE STRIPE – Emory has been solid from the foul line this year, connecting at a 76.5 percent (328-of-429) clip, good for first place among UAA teams and 25th in D-III (through Feb. 11). Emory has converted 70 percent or higher of his foul shots in 17 contests this year, including last Friday's game vs. Wash U when it recorded a mark of 76.5 percent (13-of-17).
Against NYU (Feb. 3), the Eagles converted a season-high 95 percent (19-of-20), the fifth-highest single-game mark in school history.
In their 13 home games, the Eagles are hitting 75.4 percent (184-of-244) from the foul line and 77.8 percent (144-of-185) in their nine away/neutral contests.
Individually, Romin Williams is fifth among UAA cagers with an effort of 79.3 percent (46-of-58) from the stripe. Lawrence Rowley is one spot behind at 79.3 percent (68-of-86) while Matt Davet stands ninth with a showing of 77.5 percent (69-of-89).
MASSEY RATINGS – The University Athletic Association (UAA) is the sixth-rated conference in NCAA Division III, according to the Massey Ratings. The list of the schools and their rankings: Emory (No. 32), Rochester (No. 35), Chicago (No. 51), WashU (No. 54), Brandeis (No. 89), Carnegie Mellon (No. 141), Case Western Reserve (No. 194) and New York (No. 266).
BENNETTRANK – In BennettRank, located on the herosports.com web site, Emory is ranked 18th in the D-III ranks, followed by Chicago (No. 42), Rochester (No. 55), Wash U (No. 56), Carnegie Mellon (No. 144), Brandeis (No. 145), Case Western Reserve (No. 191) and NYU (No. 259).
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 (179-59) play and the second-best mark in league action (88-35) .… Washington University has the conference's second-best overall ledger (170-62) and the top slate in conference play (90-33) … That Emory has at least one three-point field goal in its last 566 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 52 of its last 53 games when allowing 69 or fewer points (5-0 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 32-3 ledger in games since the 2016-17 season when it has converted 10 or more three-pointers in a contest (11-1 in '18-19, 11-0 in 2017-18, 10-2 in '16-17) … The Eagles saw a 30-game win streak come to an end last Sunday vs. Chicago (Feb. 10) when knocking down 10 or more from distance.
NOTES –Romin Williams has produced 10 or more points in 40 of 49 career outings and has tallied 20 or more points 16 times … Williams has registered 395 points this year and is tied with Seun Abolaji (2000-01) as the fifth most prolific sophomore scorer in program history – Tim Garrett (1987-88) is the school's leading sophomore scorer with 477 points set during the 1987-88 campaign … Matt Davet is second on the team with eight games of 20 or more points … Nick Stuck has scored in double figures in his last four contests, averaging 16.7 points in that stretch, while shooting 66.7 percent (26-of-39) from the floor … On the season, Stuck has produced 10 or more points in eight contests … Stuck heads into the Case Western Reserve game tied for 17th place on the school's seasonal list with 105 assists … Matt Schner is tied for second place in the UAA in offensive rebounds (3.0 orpg) while Lawrence Rowley claims the No. 4 position (2.8 orpg) … Schner tied his career high with six offensive boards in last Sunday's Chicago contest … Schener has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 13 games and stands first on the squad and 7th on the conference chart in field goal percentage (.577, 112-of-194) … Schner has chalked up 16 performances of double-digit scoring this season … Senior Gebereal Baitey checks in with 109 career thefts, good for 19th place on the school's all-time ladder, and has recorded 31 contests with two or more steals … On the offensive end of the floor, Baitey has eight double-figure scoring games this season (34 in his career) and is 24th on the UAA ladder at 9.6 points per game … Since the 2012-13 season, the Eagles are 112-7 when outshooting the opposition from the floor (13-1 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 173-21 when leading at halftime (17-2 in 2018-19, 19-1, in '17-18, 13-0 in '16-17; 18-3 in 2015-16) … Emory is averaging 46.8 points during the first half of play and 46.1 over the final 20 minutes of action … Opponents are scoring at an average of 37.2 points in the first half and 43.1 points in the second half … The Eagles have won 42 of their last 43 games at the Woodruff PE Center against non-league foes with the only blemish coming earlier this year against Randolph-Macon (Nov. 25) … Emory is 105-13 (.890) over its last 118 home contests … The Eagles have recorded 100 or more points 54 times in program history and own a 48-6 won-lost record in those affairs … During Jason Zimmerman's tenure as head coach, Emory has 23 contests of 100 or more points and stands 21-2 in such games … The Eagles have outscored the opposition in 32 halves while being outpointed in 12 … Emory is tied for first in the UAA with an average of 7.3 steals per game and has turned in three contests with double-figure thefts including a season-high 15 vs. LaGrange (Dec. 5) … Matt Schner is tied for sixth in the conference in steals average (1.4 spg) while Gebereal Baitey is ninth (1.3 spg) … The Eagles have scored 50 or more points in a half on 15 occasions, and their 68 first-half points against Carnegie Mellon (Jan. 20) represented the highest total by a Zimmerman-coached team … Emory enjoys a 344-253 edge in the points-off-turnovers category … Emory has led by 10 or more points at halftime in 13 contests … The Eagles are No. 1 in the UAA and 31st in the D-III ranks (through Feb. 11) in scoring margin (+12.3) … Romin Williams saw a 17-game three-point field goal streak (tying 13th-longest in school history) come to an end in the Oswego State game (Dec. 29).