A furious comeback over the final five minutes of regulation came up just short as the No. 20 ranked Emory University men's basketball team lost a heartbreaker to No. 21 WashU, 60-59, Sunday afternoon in St. Louis.

Trailing 60-50 with 5:28 remaining, the Eagles scored the game's final nine points and had two chances to win in the closing seconds but saw both opportunities fall short in the battle for first place in the UAA. With the win, the Bears move into sole possession of first at 7-2 and 16-4 overall while Emory slips into a three-way tie for second at 6-3 (15-5 overall) with five games left to play.

Coming out of a timeout with 10.7 seconds to go, freshman Benjamin Pearce drove the lane but saw his layup attempt roll off the front of the rim. Sophomore Cale Martens corralled the loose ball on the mad scramble for the rebound and was able to throw up a last-second shot but his chance drew front iron. The Bears were able to secure the final rebound to seal the one-point win.

Senior Mason Johnson led all players with 17 points and nine rebounds while Pearce finished with 12 points, including 10 coming in the second half. Sophomore Logan Shanahan was third for the Eagles with seven points and contributed three blocks. Eight of the nine Emory players that entered the game scored at least four points.

Hayden Doyle and Drake Kindsvater combined for 25 of WashU's points with Doyle leading the way with 13.

The Eagles shot better from the field, going 27-for-58 for a 46.6% clip while WashU finished 39.7% shooting (25-for-63). The Bears had the advantage on the glass, 34-27, and led 15-11 in second chance points.

The Eagles continue their four-game road swing next weekend, starting with a rematch against Carnegie Mellon Friday night in Pittsburgh.