Senior Jake Davis totaled a game-high 28 points and sophomore Will Trawick exploded for a career-high 24 points in leading the Emory men's basketball team to a victory over Methodist University Saturday in an opening-round game of the Captains Classic hosted by Christopher Newport University. The Eagles evened their record to 2-2 following the 97-91 shootout decision over the Monarchs who fell to 1-3.
Emory outscored Methodist by a 61-48 margin over the final 20 minutes of action, hitting 61.3 percent (19-of-31) of its field goal opportunities, including six-of-nine from three-point range. Trawick scored 19 points in the second half, converting six of his nine field goal opportunities, including five three pointers in seven attempts. Junior Josh Schattie added 12 second-half points en route to finishing with a career-high tying 14 points, ending the contest by sinking seven of his nine attempts from the field. Davis knocked down six field goals and was successful on all 15 of his free throw opportunities, tying the school record for most makes from the charity stripe. Senior McPherson Moore rounded out the team's double-digit scorers with 13 points while junior guard Michael Florin dished out 10 assists, tying his second-highest career total.
Schattie gave the Eagles a spark to open the second scoring eight points as part of a 12-5 Emory run that wiped out a seven-point halftime deficit and knotted the game at 48-48. Trailing by a 60-57 margin, the Eagles used a 10-4 burst, started by a Trawick triple and capped by a three-point play by Davis, to claim a 67-64 lead with 10:25 left. Emory stretched its advantage to 77-69 with 8:04 on the clock after scoring five unanswered points, with those coming on a pair of free throws by Davis followed by a trey from Trawick. After the Monarchs drew to within four, Trawick knocked down another from beyond the arc that kept the Eagles up by seven, 80-73, with 7:31 left. A bucket by MU's Bryan Hockaday with 6:25 remaining kept the Monarchs within range at 80-77, but a three pointer by Moore followed by a pair of Trawick conversions from the free throw line upped Emory's lead to 85-77 with 4:41 left in the game. Methodist crept to within four points on three occasions over the final 1:07 of the game but four free throws apiece by Davis and Moore kept the Monarchs at bay and sealed the victory for Emory.
Methodist, led in scoring by Desmond Parker and Tabias Hillard with 14 points each, outshot Emory in the game, hitting 59 percent (36-of-61) from the floor compared to the Eagles' effort of 47.5 percent (29-of-61). Though it was outrebounded by a 34-29 margin, Emory sank 30-of-36 from the foul line to the Monarch's 13-of-16 and took care of the ball considerably better, turning the ball over on just 11 occasions to MU's 20 miscues. Emory trailed by a 43-36 count at the intermission as the Monarchs hit 69.2 percent of their field goal attempts (18-of-26). After a pair of free throws by Trawick drew Emory to within four points, 32-28, with 4:53 left in the stanza, Methodist went on a 9-2 run, keyed by five points from freshman Keith Corbett, to take its largest lead of the stanza, 41-30, with 1:59 left. The Eagles cut the gap to single digits going into the locker room, scoring six of the half's final eight points over the final 1:10. Davis paced Emory's scoring effort during the opening 20 minutes of action with 12 points while Florin added six points. Corbett totaled nine first-half points for the Methodist.
Emory returns to action on Sunday (Nov. 24) when it plays in the title game of the Captain Classic against either York or host Christopher Newport starting at 2:00 pm.
NOTES – Jake Davis posted his 28th career contest of 20 or more points this season … Emory has won 30 of 33 decisions during Zimmerman's tenure as head coach when scoring 90 or more points … The 61 second-half points against Methodist tied the highest point total by the Eagles under Zimmerman … Florin's 10 assists tied the 11th-highest individual game total in school annals … Emory recorded a season-high 10 steals this afternoon.