Emory Men's Basketball Holds Off Hanover

Box

Senior Chad Hixon picked up 15 points to pace five Emory double-figure scorers, and also grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, as the Eagles closed out a five-game homestand this evening with a hard-fought win over Hanover College.  The Eagles notched their second straight win and raised their record to 6-3 following an 89-81 victory over the Panthers who slipped to 4-5.

The visitors from Indiana enjoyed an edge in shooting against Emory, knocking down 55.2 percent (32-of-58) from the floor compared to the Eagles' 50.7 percent (34-of-67)   
However, Emory finished with a 34-31 edge in rebounding and turned the ball over a school-record low three times compared to the Panthers' 11 miscues.

With junior Julien Williams scoring nine of his 11 points in the first half, and Hixon and sophomore Corey Spraggins chipping in eight, the Eagles built a 45-35 advantage at halftime.  A key stretch in the stanza took place with 6:13 remaining when, holding a 29-27 margin, Emory went on a 14-2 blitz, with five different players scoring, to take a 43-29 lead with 1:53 left.

The Panthers drew to within four points at 47-43 during the early stages of the second half before senior Anthony Fernandez scored the game's next seven points to push the Eagles' lead back to 54-43, with 15:06 remaining.  Fernandez turned in his biggest offensive effort of the season, totaling 13 points, sinking six-of-eight from the floor. Emory held an eight-point lead following a bucket by Williams but Hanover responded with an 8-0 spurt and tied the affair at 63-63 with 10:07 on the clock following a three-point play by Ryan Nowicki.  Both teams looked to take command of the game as there were three more ties over the next five minutes.  With the score deadlocked at 73-73, sophomore Alex Gulotta buried a three-pointer and sparked a 9-0 run that saw him sink another from beyond the arc, as well as sophomore Austin Claunch, to give the Eagles a 82-73 advantage with 3:00 left. A three-pointer by Taylor Dial cut the Emory lead to four points with 20 seconds left but a pair of free throws by Claunch and freshman Michael Friedberg closed out the game's scoring.

Claunch contributed 13 points along with a solid floor game that saw him dish out eight assists with no turnovers in 36 minutes of play.  Sophomore Corey Spraggins rounded out the team's double-digit scorers with 10 points.

Emory now breaks for the holidays before returning to action on Jan. 2 when it tangles with Drew College at the Washington & Lee Tournament. 


NOTES - Emory is 5-1 this season when leading at the half ... Hixon's back-to-back double-double against Hanover was his second double-double of the year and fourth of his career ... Fernandez has scored in double figures in three of his last four games ... In his last two games, Cluanch has logged 74 minutes of action and has 18 assists and just two turnovers ... Senior Daniel Curtin has three-point field goals to his credit in his last six contests ... Emory has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in four games this season ... Spraggins has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in seven games and has connected on 56.6 percent (34-of-60) of his attempts.