Junior Austin Claunch scored six of his game-high 26 points in
overtime and senior Julien Williams added a career-high 19 points
along with a game-high 13 rebounds as the Emory men’s
basketball came away with an 91-87 overtime win against the
University of Chicago on Sunday. The victory boosted the
Eagles’ record to 18-4, 9-2 in the University Athletic
Association while the Maroons slipped to 8-14 overall, 5-6 in the
conference. With the triumph, Emory clinches at least a
second-place finish in the league which represents the
program’s best conference showing since 1990. Emory also
stays on the heels of league-leading Rochester (10-1) which
defeated Washington University.
Claunch was successful on eight-of-19 field goal attempts and
converted three three-point field goals and seven-of-eight from the
foul line in ringing up his 19th double-figure scoring
performance of the year and fifth of 20 or more points.
Williams continued his recent offensive surge, knocking down
six-of-nine from the field and seven-of-10 from the foul line in
registering his seventh double-digit effort in the past eight
contests. Sophomore Alex Greven and sophomore Michael
Friedberg rounded out the team’s double-figure scorers with
15 and 10 points, respectively. Friedberg also blocked five
shots running his streak to 10 consecutive games with
rejections.
Behind 13 points by Claunch and 10 from Williams, the Eagles
enjoyed a 40-24 edge at halftime. Though Emory connected on
just 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from the field during the opening 20
minutes of play, it held the visitors to 24.0 percent (6-of-25) and
hit six three-point field goals while the Maroons misfired on their
nine attempts from beyond the arc.
Emory would build its largest lead of the game, 51-34, with 15:47
remaining following a charity toss by Greven, but Chicago slowly
began to chip away at the deficit. UC used an 11-4 run, with
Chase Davis scoring seven points in that stretch, to draw to within
10 points with 13:17 remaining. A bucket by Emory’s
Jake Davis pushed its lead back to a dozen points but the Maroons
kept coming and closed the gap to seven, 57-50, with 11:31 on the
clock. After another basket by Davis extended Emory’s
lead to nine points, UC used an 11-0 blitz, capped by a triple by
Davis, to take a 61-59 lead with 8:36 left. Davis would finish the
game with 19 points. UC eventually held a 71-67 lead with
5:40 remaining before the Eagles rattled off nine unanswered
points, six by Williams, to lay claim to a 76-71 margin with 3:08
left. After a pair of free throws by UC, the Maroons knotted
the affair at 76-76 with 1:43 left following a trey by Matt
Johnson. Greven put Emory ahead with a pair of free throws
with 1:19 left before UC’s Davis tied the game with what
proved to be the final points of regulation with 1:02 on the
clock.
In the extra session, UC enjoyed an 84-83 edge with 2:19 left
before a free throw by Williams tied the game. On its ensuing
possession, UC missed a pair of shots to snap the tie.
Claunch then put Emory ahead for good with a drive through the lane
with 1:07 remaining. Claunch’s two free throws
with nine ticks on the clock pushed Emory to a 90-87 lead, with the
Eagles withstanding a three-point field goal attempt by Johnson,
who totaled 20 points, that rattled in and out of the basket with
four seconds left.
Emory returns to action next Friday (Feb. 18) when it plays at Case
Western Reserve University.