CLEVELAND – Sophomore forward Dane McLoughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Preparatory) scored a game high-tying 21 points, but the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team was outscored 47-25 in the second half and lost its 2013 University Athletic Association home opener versus Emory University (Ga.), 82-60, on Friday in front of a packed house at Horsburgh Gymnasium.
The Spartans drop to 8-7 overall and 1-3 in the UAA, while the Eagles move to 10-4 and 2-2 in the Association.
In the second half of play, Emory shot .594 from the field and .667 from three-point range.
McLoughlin, the nation's top three-point shooter, was 7-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sophomore guard Julien Person (Houston, Texas/Second Baptist) and junior guard Tim Chung (Cypress, Calif./Los Alamitos) also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
In the first half, both sides started slow, but Emory was able to hold the Spartans scoreless for the opening 4:34 and build a 5-0 lead following two Michael Florin free throws at 17:46. Case then scored four in a row before the Eagles accounted for 10 of the next 13 to lead 15-7 when Jake Davis hit a three-pointer at 11:22.
The Spartans came back with the next six and pulled to within two following a layup from sophomore forward Brian Klements (Willoughby Hills, Ohio/Willoughby South) at 9:48, but Emory was able to end the charge to maintain a small lead. Case kept the pressure on and picked up a four-point play by Chung to pull within 24-23 at 5:51, but the Eagles were able to respond with a 9-2 run to lead 33-25 as Alex Greven made a layup at 3:30.
Undaunted, the Spartans ended three straight possessions with a triple as McLoughlin hit two and Person hit one to bring the score to 35-34 with 1:32 left in the half. McLoughlin would later hit a free throw with six seconds left to tie the score at halftime.
In the second, Emory jumped out to a 10-point lead, 49-39, when McPherson Moore capped a 14-4 run with a jumper at 15:23. From there, the Eagles blew the game open and led by as many as 22 on several occasions.
Emory was led by Alex Greven with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Moore and Davis tallied 19 and 15, respectively.
The Spartans conclude their first home conference weekend of the season this Sunday, January 20 versus the University of Rochester (N.Y.) at 12:00 p.m. Following that game, the Spartans remain at home for a second-straight UAA weekend beginning with the University of Chicago (Ill.) on Friday, Jan. 25 at 8:00 p.m. That game along with a Sunday matchup versus Washington University-St. Louis (Mo.) is designated as Case Western Reserve's eighth annual Throwback Weekend.
Both the Spartan men's and women's basketball teams will be wearing uniforms commemorating Western Reserve University (Red Cats), Case Institute of Technology (Rough Riders) and Mather College. WRU and CIT federated in 1967 to become Case Western Reserve University.