The junior trio of Matt Schner, Romin Williams and Lawrence Rowley all scored 20-plus points in leading the No. 2-ranked Emory men's basketball team to a school record-setting victory over Pfeiffer University in its opening game of the Maryville College Thanksgiving Classic. The Eagles raised their overall record to 6-0 following a wild 124-112 triumph over the Falcons who slipped to 4-3.
Emory's 124 points established a program for most points in a game, bettering the previous mark of 116 that had been set on two occasions – against Carnegie Mellon on Jan. 20, 2019, and Trinity University (TX) on Dec. 1, 2018.
Schner led the scoring barrage with 27 points, 18 coming in the second half, ending the contest 10-of-16 from the floor, including a pair of triples, while converting all five of his free throw attempts. Schner's offensive output represented his second-highest total as an Eagle. Williams was close behind in the scoring column with 26 points, knocking down eight-of-19 field goal tires, three treys and seven charity tosses in eight opportunities. Rowley poured in 23 points, connecting on nine-of-12 from the field and four-of-six from the free throw line. Rowley came through with his first double-double of the campaign closing out the game with 10 boards. Junior Matt Davet and sophomore Mason Johnson rounded out the squad's double-digit scorers with 15 points each, with Johnson's effort a career best and Davet contributing a double-double after snatching 10 rebounds.
Holding a three-point edge with 8:35 remaining in the game, the Eagles recorded a decisive 19-7 run over a five-minute stretch, to claim an insurmountable 121-106 advantage with 3:02 on the clock. Schner totaled four points during that decisive stretch, as did Johnson while Davet and Williams each came through with three points.
For the game, the Eagles shot 50 percent (43-of-86) from the floor with 43 makes tying the school's third-highest total, while Pfeiffer hit on 48.8 percent (39-of-80). While the Falcons held a decided edge in three-point shooting raining down 17 treys and shooting 43.6 percent compared to Emory's showing of 31.8 percent (7-of-22), the Eagles made up for at the foul line by draining 31-of-38 attempts compared to Pfeiffer's 17-of-24). Emory also dominated the glass by a 62-30 margin, led by Johnson's 12 boards. The Eagles logged a 27-10 bulge in offensive caroms that helped lead to a 33-11 edge in second-chance points.
Next up for the Eagles is a Sunday afternoon encounter against host Maryville in a scheduled 4:00 pm tip.