The Emory University men's basketball team battled until the end but ultimately saw its season come to a close Friday night, falling on the road to Hampden-Sydney College, 63-59, in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.
Freshman Benjamin Pearce and senior Mason Johnson led the Eagles in scoring, both reaching double figures with Pearce leading all scorers with a game-high 19 points. Adam Brazil and Ryan Clements headlined the Tigers on the night, equaling the Emory duo with a combined 32 points with Brazil pacing HS-C with 18.
Emory found itself trailing within the opening minutes of the game, falling behind by as many as 11 as Hampden-Sydney held a 25-14 lead with 8:04 to go before halftime. The Eagles' resiliency kicked in as they rallied with a 15-4 run over the next 6:45, eventually tying the score at 29-29 with a jumper by sophomore Cale Martens before a shot by Clements with under a minute to go sent the hosts into the locker room with the slim 31-29 edge.
The second half saw no separation from either side as the game remained within two possessions for the entirety of the final 20 minutes. The half also featured eight lead changes and six ties.
The Eagles faced its largest deficit at 41-36 with 14:16 to go but three-pointers from sophomores Logan Shanahan and Albert Fallas helped give Emory its first lead since the opening minute of play, leading 42-41 at 12:33.
From there, the game stayed within a single possession and eventually found itself tied again at 55 when Johnson knocked down a triple with 6:17 to play. HS-C had an answer each time however, scoring the next four points before another three from Fallas brought the Eagles back to within one at 4:20. Brazil countered with a made jumper but Pearce came down the floor and sank one of his five three-pointers, knotting the score again at 58 with 3:24 to play.
Brazil came through again for the Tigers unfortunately, putting Hampden-Sydney back ahead 61-58 just under the three-minute mark.
The Eagles had several chances at the end for the win with freshman Jair Knight, Martens and Pearce each getting looks at the basket but none of their shots could fall as HS-C pulled out the postseason win.
Emory concludes the 2022-23 season with a 17-9 overall record while the Tigers advance to the NCAA Second Round to take on Christopher Newport.