| Emory athletics file photo by Colin Mackey |
For the second time on the weekend, Emory survived an overtime battle from a University Athletic Association opponent, as the No. 7 Eagles edged top-ranked University of Chicago 97-94.
Jair Knight propelled the Eagles to the OT win with a career-high 36 points with nine rebounds, followed by a 24-point outing and nine assists by fellow senior Ben Pearce.
“Really proud of our guys and their staying power throughout the weekend,” Emory coach Jason Zimmerman said. “We also matched the peaks and valleys of the games with a sustained high level of focus that was consistent throughout all 11 rounds.”
After a first half in which the Maroons (17-3, 7-2 UAA) rallied from an early hole and took a seven-point lead to the locker room, Chicago went on an an 11-2 run early in the second half, turning a 51-47 lead into a 62-49 advantage, its largest of the game. From there though, Emory (16-3, 6-2) answered with a 19-5 stretch to move back in front by one at 68-67 with 8:48 to go.
Nine straight points from Knight helped boost the Emory lead to 76-72 with 6:02 left but Nick Roper, Eamonn Kenah, and Shane Regan answered with consecutive buckets to push Chicago ahead 78-76 with four minutes to play. Another bucket from Knight had the Eagles leading 86-84 with 40 seconds to play but a layup from Regan with 16 seconds evened the score. Pearce had a chance to win in regulation as he pulled up at the top of the lane for a game-winning jumper but missed to the right of the rim to send the game into overtime.
In the extra session, Chicago had the early lead at 90-86 but Knight responded with back-to-back baskets to even the score at 90 with three minutes left. The teams traded the next three buckets and the Eagles were able to grab the lead as Pearce and Fauss went 5-for-5 at the line across the final minute. The Maroons had one final opportunity with an inbounds play with 2.2 seconds remaining but Knight intercepted the long pass to clinch the victory.
Regan led Chicago with a career-high 33 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals. The double-double for Regan marks the third double-double of his season and the fourth double-double of his career. It also marks just the second time in his career that he tallied 10 assists in a single game, achieving this feat in back-to-back games.