No. 23 Emory Men's Basketball Faces Road Test At LaGrange
GAME FACTS - The Emory University men's
basketball team plays its final game before the holidays on
Thursday (Dec. 16) when it takes a jaunt down I-85 to tangle with
LaGrange College. Mariotti Gym on the LaGrange will serve as the
venue for the 18th meeting between the Eagles and
Panthers and tip is slated for 5:00 p.m.
THE COACHES - Leading the Emory program is
fourth-year Head Coach Jason Zimmerman (Davidson,
'94) Named head coach in April of 2007, Zimmerman came to
Emory after serving as an assistant coach at the University of
Evansville (2003-04 through 2006-07). Prior to his stint with
the Aces, Zimmerman was an assistant at Davidson College for seven
years (1996-97 through 2002-03). Last season, Zimmerman
directed the Eagles to an overall record of 15-10, the
program’s first winning season since 2004-05. In
addition, Emory tied for third place in the University Athletic
Association with a 7-7 slate, with its win total the most since
2000-01. For his efforts, Zimmerman, along with assistants
Chris Murphy and Ben Wright were named the UAA’s Co-Coaching
Staff of the Year.
Warren Haynes (LaGrange, 1998) is in his 10th
season as the head coach at LaGrange. Last season, Haynes saw his
charges use a late-season surge to earn a runner-up finish in the
Great South Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.
2010-11 RECORDS – Emory stands 7-0 for the
first time since the 2002-03 season. In their most recent
performance, the Eagles, ranked No. 23 in this week’s
D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, recorded an 80-67 win at Covenant College
on Dec. 7. Freshman Jake Davis paced the
team’s scoring attack with 18 points while junior Corey
Spraggins chipped in 14 points.
LaGrange is in search of its first win of the season, having dropped its first ten outings. Most recently, the Panthers dropped a 70-51 decision at Millsaps on Monday.
Emory's Top Offensive Scoring Efforts Under Zimmerman
|
Date |
Opponent |
Pts. Scored |
Result |
|
12/15/07 |
Oglethorpe (H) |
106 |
W, 106-89 |
|
11/28/10 |
Maryville (H) |
103 |
W, 103-99 |
|
12/8/07 |
Maryville (H) |
100 |
W, 100-89 |
|
1/12/08 |
Case Western (H) |
99 |
W, 99-92 |
|
3/1/08 |
Case Western (A) |
93 |
L, 93-96 |
|
11/17/10 |
Oglethorpe (H) |
92 |
W, 92-84 (ot) |
|
12/1/07 |
Huntingdon (A) |
92 |
W, 92-84 |
|
12/3/08 |
LaGrange (A) |
91 |
W, 91-72 |
|
11/25/08 |
Oglethorpe (H) |
89 |
W, 89-83 |
|
1/27/08 |
Carnegie Mellon (H) |
89 |
W, 89-85 |
|
12/6/07 |
Oglethorpe (A) |
89 |
W, 89-52 |
|
11/25/07 |
LaGrange (N) |
89 |
W, 89-72 |
GULOTTA KNOCKING DOWN 3s – Junior Alex Gulotta checks into the LaGrange contest with three-point field goals in his last 19 games, the seventh-longest streak in school history. If Gulotta converts a triple on Thursday, he’ll tie Michael Thompson (Jan. 15, 1999 though Dec. 7, 1999) and Rashawn Allen (Nov. 27, 2004 through Feb. 14, 2005) for the sixth-longest streak at 20 games.
Through UAA games played through Dec. 13, the 6-foot-1 Gulotta leads the conference in both three-point field goal percentage (.596) three-point field goals per game (4.9 tpg). In NCAA statistics released on Dec. 14 for games played through Dec. 12, Gulotta held down the No. 1 position among all D-III players in both categories. In Emory’s four home games, he is shooting 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from distance while checking in with a blazing 65.5 percent (19-of-29) effort in the team’s three games away from the Woodpec.
GREVEN PICKING UP SCORING PACE – After averaging 15.7 points through his first three games, sophomore Alex Greven has upped his scoring pace over the last four contests, tossing in 22.2 points per outing in that stretch. Greven, who has recorded six double-figure scoring games, including four of 20 or more points, stands as the UAA’s leading scorer through games played Dec. 13 with a 19.4 per-game showing. In addition to his scoring average, Greven holds down the No. 9 spot on the UAA ladder in free throw percentage (.793). In the NCAA statistics released Dec. 14 for games played through Dec. 12, Greven stood 60th nationally in scoring.
EMORY MAKING THE MOST AT THE CHARITY STRIPE – The Eagles have been quite efficient at the foul line, converting 80 percent or better from charity stripe in the last five games while registering a success rate of 80.5 percent for the year, good for the No. 1 spot in the UAA and No. 7 position nationally. Against Covenant, Emory sank 87.0 percent (20-of-23) of its free throw attempts, including 12-of-13 in the second half. The Eagles claim three of the league’s top 10 foul shooters including junior Austin Claunch (.938, 1st, 15th nationally), Jake Davis (.852, 6th) and Alex Greven (.793, 9th).
EMORY NOTES -- Emory is averaging 84.0 points per contest, tops among UAA teams and 27th nationally … The Eagles stand first in the league and 17th nationally among D-III programs with a 9.7 treys-per-game average … Austin Claunch, who has been the team’s leader in assists in all seven games this year, has moved into the No. 6 spot on Emory’s career ladder with 266 assists … Claunch saw a streak of 30 consecutive makes from the foul line come to an end in the Covenant game … Claunch entered that affair with streak of 27 straight and sank his first three opportunities before missing … That streak ranks as the fourth longest in school history … The Eagles ended the Covenant game shooting an even 50 percent from the floor, the second time this year it reached or surpassed that mark … Emory has outshot four of its seven foes from the floor this year … Jake Davis has scored in double figures in his last three outings and is averaging 19.0 points and shooting 58.8 percent (20-of-34) from the floor in that stretch.
