The Emory men's basketball team almost pulled off one of the greatest come-from-behind efforts in school history Friday evening but fell short to Brandeis University in a wild overtime decision. Emory saw its four-game winning streak snapped following an 86-82 setback, leaving its overall record at 13-4, 4-2 in the University Athletic Association. With the win, Brandeis boosted its overall record to 13-3, 3-3 in the conference.
After finding itself in a 19-point hole at halftime, the Eagles still faced a 20-point uphill climb with just 12:32 remaining in the contest. However, Emory roared back with a combination of swarming defense and timely shot making in its spellbinding rally. After a pair of Vytas Kriskus free throws gave Brandeis a seemingly comfortable 55-35 lead, Emory began to whittle away at the deficit with five players scoring, highlighted by five points from freshman Jake Davis, in a 12-2 run that drew Emory to within 10 with 8:30 on the clock. Brandeis pulled ahead by 13 points, 63-50, with 6:24 remaining after Kriskus sank two more free throws, but Emory would close out the rest of the half on a 20-7 blitz that would force the extra session. A bucket by junior Austin Claunch, who finished the night with 14 points and six assists, followed by a three-point field goal by Justin Resnick cut the Judges' lead to 63-55 with 5:27 left on the clock. Brandeis sank five-of-six free throws attempts over the next 90 seconds to go up by a 68-57 margin with just 3:51 remaining. Two free throws each by sophomore Alex Greven and Resnick kept Emory alive, down seven points at 68-61, with 2:14 on the clock before a runner by Greven knocked the gap down to five points. After Brandeis made one-of-two from the foul line on its next possession, Claunch raced down the court to score a layup, narrowing the score to 69-65. Greven then deflected the ensuing Brandeis inbounds pass where it was picked up and scored by senior Julien Williams, making the score 69-67 in Brandeis favor with just 1:16 remaining. The Judges pushed their advantage to three points with 20 ticks on the clock when it made one-of-two from the charity stripe. However, Gulotta forced the overtime when he took a pass from Claunch and nailed a triple from the corner with five seconds left. Gulotta finished the evening with 15 points, hitting six-of-13 from the floor including three-of-seven from beyond the arc. Brandeis was held without a field goal over the final 6:44 of regulation, turning the ball over five times and misfiring on five field goal attempts in that span.
After Brandeis drew first blood in the extra session when Anthony Trapasso hit a jumper, Gulotta tied the game with a bucket. A trey gave the host squad gave them a three-point edge but Gulotta answered that with a triple of his own that knotted things up at 75-75 with 4:07 left. The Eagles would take a two-point lead with 3:37 remaining following a Williams' bucket, but a pair of free throws by BU's Tyrone Hughes, who paced all players with 22 points, tied the game once again. Brandeis went ahead for good with 1:01 left when a three pointer by Jay Freeman pushed the Judges ahead, 80-77. Brandeis scored its remaining six points from the foul line over the final 35 seconds of overtime.
Brandeis ended the evening shooting 51.9 percent (28-of-54) while Emory finished at 40.8 percent (31-of-76). The Eagles connected on just 22.2 percent (6-of-27) from beyond the arc and were outrebound by a 40-36 margin. The Eagles did register 11 steals, their fourth straight game of double figures in that department, and turned the ball over just 12 times compared to 21 miscues by Brandeis.
Williams and Davis tied for Emory scoring honors with 16 points with Williams' effort a season high. Sophomore Michael Friedberg led Emory with eight rebounds.
Brandeis landed the early blows in the first half, shooting 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the floor while Emory was limited to 36.4 percent (12-of-33). The Eagles also misfired on all nine of their three-point field goal opportunities during the opening 20 minutes of play. After a bucket by Claunch cut a Brandeis lead to 18-12, the Judges scored nine of the game's next 13 points to assume a 27-16 advantage. After back-to-back baskets by Justin Resnick and Alex Gulotta drew the Eagles to within seven points, Brandeis closed out the final 4:53 of the stanza on a 16-4 run to take a 43-24 cushion into halftime.
The Eagles return to action on Sunday (Jan. 30) when they play at New York University in a noon start.