The Emory men's basketball team opened its 2013-14 season on a successful note Saturday afternoon, posting a 67-53 victory over Spalding University in the Black Tie Classic hosted by Birmingham Southern.    The loss dropped Spalding's record to 0-2.

Emory ended the game shooting 44.4 percent (24-of-54) from the floor compared to Spalding's 37.5 percent (18-of-48).  Shooting from three-point range proved to be a key to the contest with the Eagles knocking down 46.6 percent (7-of-15) while the Golden Eagles converted just two-of-12 from beyond the arc.  Emory finished with a 34-31 edge on the glass.

Emory had three players post double-figure scoring, led by senior Jake Davis who tallied a game-high18 points, hitting six-of-12 from the floor and five-of-six from the charity stripe.  Junior Michael Florin chipped in 11 points and dished out six assists in 31 minutes of action while sophomore Davis Rao came off the bench to add 11 points along with a team-high six rebounds.

Emory put the clamps on Spalding during the opening 20 minutes of action, holding the Golden Eagles to just 28 percent from the field, in staking itself to a 32-21 lead.  A pair of free throw by Spalding's Brandon Gabriel cut an Emory lead to two points with 8:04 left in the stanza but the Eagles went on a 8-0 run, with Davis accounting for six points in that stretch to claim a 21-11 lead. The first of two three-pointers by Austin DaGue gave Emory its largest lead of the half, 26-14, with 2:44 on the clock.  DaGue scored all eight of his points in the first half while Davis also scored eight.

After Spalding scored the first basket of the second half, Emory responded with an 8-2 burst, capped by a bucket by Florin to take charge of the contest at 40-25.  The Golden Eagles closed to 11 points on a pair of occasions but Emory stymied both comeback bids, building 16 points on four occasions over the final 9:34.

The 53 points scored by Spalding represented the lowest total ever by an Emory opponent in a season-opening game and raised the Eagles' all-time record in season openers to 18-10.

Emory continues its play in the Black Tie Classic on Saturday when it battles Birmingham Southern (1-0) in a 4:00 pm start (EST).