Emory Men's Basketball Defeats LaGrange
The Emory men's basketball team used a torrid second-half
shooting display and had six players register double-figure scoring
as it defeated LaGrange College Sunday afternoon in second-day
action at the GABCA Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The Eagles
raised their overall record to 3-1 following a 95-81 decision over
the Panthers who slipped to 2-4.
Emory shot a blistering 67.8 percent (19-of-28) from the floor
during the final 20 minutes of play en route to a 58-47 scoring
advantage. Sophomore guard Austin Claunch helped in the
second-half explosion by scoring 14 of his team-high 18 points in
the second stanza while senior guard Daniel Curtin totaled 10 of
his 12 points. Claunch's output represented his fourth straight
game of double-digit scoring and tied his second highest career
total. He also doled out seven assists.
For the game, Emory connected on a season-best 55 percent
(33-of-60) from the floor while the host LaGrange squad checked in
at 58.9 percent (33-of-56). Both clubs shot over 40 percent
from the arc with Emory sinking seven-of-17 (41.2 percent) and
LaGrange seven-of-16 (43.8 percent). The Eagles enjoyed a
decided advantage in free throws, knocking down 22-of-30 while
LaGrange hit eight-of-14. Emory made the most of its
possessions, finishing the game with just four turnovers compared
to the Panthers' 14.
Emory held a 57-54 lead with 12:51 left in the game before going on
a 12-2 scoring spree, keyed by three pointers by Claunch and
Curtin, to assume a 69-56 edge with 8:38 on the clock. The
Eagles eventually took their biggest lead of the game, 72-57, with
7:36 left following a three-pointer by sophomore Justin
Resnick. The Panthers countered with a 14-4 run of their own
that drew it to within 76-71 with just under four minutes
left. However, Emory responded with eight straight points to
take a commanding 84-71 cushion with just 1:41 remaining.
Freshman Alex Greven was behind Claunch in scoring with 16 points
while sophomore Corey Spraggins chipped in 15 points along with a
team-high eight rebounds. Junior Julien Williams (11 pts.) and
senior Chad Hixon (10 pts.) rounded out the team's double-figure
scorers.
LaGrange was led in scoring by Nic Whitfield who led all players
with 22 points.
During the opening 20 minutes of play, LaGrange shot 66.7
percent from the floor (14-of-21) but still trailed by a 37-34
margin. While the Eagles finished the opening stanza with a
43.8 percent effort (14-of-32), they played a miscue-free first
half while parlaying 10 LaGrange turnovers into 10 points. The
Eagles trailed by a 34-30 margin with 3:18 left in the first stanza
but closed out the half with a 7-0 run to go into the intermission
with the lead. Sophomore Alex Gulotta's three-pointer with 1:38 on
the clock gave Emory its first lead since the 16:45 mark of the
half at 35-34 while a layup by Sparaggins just beat the
buzzer.
Emory returns to action on Wednesday (Dec. 2) when it makes its
home debut against LaGrange College.
 |  |
