Junior Austin Claunch scored six of his game-high 26 points in overtime and senior Julien Williams added a career-high 19 points along with a game-high 13 rebounds as the Emory men's basketball came away with an 91-87 overtime win against the University of Chicago on Sunday. The victory boosted the Eagles' record to 18-4, 9-2 in the University Athletic Association while the Maroons slipped to 8-14 overall, 5-6 in the conference. With the triumph, Emory clinches at least a second-place finish in the league which represents the program's best conference showing since 1990. Emory also stays on the heels of league-leading Rochester (10-1) which defeated Washington University.
Claunch was successful on eight-of-19 field goal attempts and converted three three-point field goals and seven-of-eight from the foul line in ringing up his 19th double-figure scoring performance of the year and fifth of 20 or more points. Williams continued his recent offensive surge, knocking down six-of-nine from the field and seven-of-10 from the foul line in registering his seventh double-digit effort in the past eight contests. Sophomore Alex Greven and sophomore Michael Friedberg rounded out the team's double-figure scorers with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Friedberg also blocked five shots running his streak to 10 consecutive games with rejections.
Behind 13 points by Claunch and 10 from Williams, the Eagles enjoyed a 40-24 edge at halftime. Though Emory connected on just 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from the field during the opening 20 minutes of play, it held the visitors to 24.0 percent (6-of-25) and hit six three-point field goals while the Maroons misfired on their nine attempts from beyond the arc.
Emory would build its largest lead of the game, 51-34, with 15:47 remaining following a charity toss by Greven, but Chicago slowly began to chip away at the deficit. UC used an 11-4 run, with Chase Davis scoring seven points in that stretch, to draw to within 10 points with 13:17 remaining. A bucket by Emory's Jake Davis pushed its lead back to a dozen points but the Maroons kept coming and closed the gap to seven, 57-50, with 11:31 on the clock. After another basket by Davis extended Emory's lead to nine points, UC used an 11-0 blitz, capped by a triple by Davis, to take a 61-59 lead with 8:36 left. Davis would finish the game with 19 points. UC eventually held a 71-67 lead with 5:40 remaining before the Eagles rattled off nine unanswered points, six by Williams, to lay claim to a 76-71 margin with 3:08 left. After a pair of free throws by UC, the Maroons knotted the affair at 76-76 with 1:43 left following a trey by Matt Johnson. Greven put Emory ahead with a pair of free throws with 1:19 left before UC's Davis tied the game with what proved to be the final points of regulation with 1:02 on the clock.
In the extra session, UC enjoyed an 84-83 edge with 2:19 left before a free throw by Williams tied the game. On its ensuing possession, UC missed a pair of shots to snap the tie. Claunch then put Emory ahead for good with a drive through the lane with 1:07 remaining. Claunch's two free throws with nine ticks on the clock pushed Emory to a 90-87 lead, with the Eagles withstanding a three-point field goal attempt by Johnson, who totaled 20 points, that rattled in and out of the basket with four seconds left.
Emory returns to action next Friday (Feb. 18) when it plays at Case Western Reserve University.