The Emory University men's basketball team fell in heartbreaking fashion to Carnegie Mellon on Friday evening dropping the game 63-60 in Pittsburgh, PA.

The Eagles record moves to 6-4 in conference play with their loss on Friday, slipping them to fourth in the conference and 15-6 overall. The Tartans are now tied for second in UAA play with a 7-3 record. 

Freshman Benjamin Pearce led all scorers with 23 points on an efficient 10-for-20 shooting while also contributing six assists. Senior Mason Johnson recorded his fifth double-double of the season as he turned in a 15-point and 10 rebound performance. Freshman Jair Knight had his sixth game of the season with three or more steals as he ripped the opponent three times while also scoring three points and pulling down three rebounds. For the Tartans, Buckley DeJardin came off the bench to score 20 points on an efficient 8-for-13 shooting night. 

Carnegie Mellon's defensive pressure was immense as they forced the Eagles into 22 turnovers to just 16 for the Tartans. DeJardin came off the pine and scored all 20 of the Tartan's bench points while the Eagles bench combined to score 12 points. Emory outshot Carnegie Mellon to keep the game close as they shot 43.1% while they held the Tartans to below 40% from the field.

A back-and-forth game opened up with a 7-1 run from the Tartans to take a 14-8 lead. The Eagles responded with eight straight points of his own that was kicked off by a deep three from junior Max Adelman. The remainder of the half was a tight affair that ended with a Johnson jumper that knotted the game up at 39 apiece.

A tense opening two minutes of the period saw both teams scoreless before the Eagles opened the floodgates with a 6-0 run to go up 45-39. The Tartans chipped away at the lead regaining the lead with just over 13 minutes remaining but the Eagles wouldn't give in as they strung together another 6-0 run to retake the lead. The Tartans wouldn't lead again until just over two minutes left in the game when Carnegie Mellon hit their final three of the matchup to take a one point lead. A silky Pearce jumper at just under a minute gave Emory their final lead of the game as they led 60-59. Carnegie Mellon would come right back down the court to score on a jumper to take the lead once and for all as they closed the game with a 63-60 win.

The Eagles are back in action on Sunday when they take on the Case Western Reserve Spartans in Cleveland, OH at 11:00 AM.