Case Western Reserve University graduate student forward Colin Kahl's layup with 8.3 seconds remaining proved to be the difference maker for the 13th-ranked Spartans on Friday night in an 86-85 win over Emory University in Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.

The Spartans secured their third-straight winning season in University Athletic Association play with the win, improving to 8-4 in the league, and raising their overall record to 19-4. Emory dropped to 14-9 overall and to 5-7 in the UAA with the loss.

Friday night's win for the Spartans, combined with NYU's loss at WashU later in the evening, put CWRU back in a tie for the Violets for the UAA Championship with two games remaining in the regular season.

Graduate student guard Anthony Mazzeo led the Spartans with 30 points, matching his season high for the third time this year. He finished the game shooting 12-of-24 overall and five-of-nine from behind the three-point line while adding five rebounds and four assists. His last and most impactful assist of the game came on the game-winning shot, when he drove into the lane with the Spartans down by a point, drawing two defenders before dishing off to an open Kahl under the bucket, who finished to put CWRU ahead 86-85.

Emory had one final attempt to win the game, but senior guard Luke Thorburn defended Emory's Jair Knight (who finished the game with 29 points) tough, forcing a fadeaway shot that fell short of the rim. A last-second putback by Cale Martens also came up short at the buzzer, as the Spartans held on for the win.

Kahl finished the game with 13 points, four rebounds, and a season-high five assists. Junior forward Umar Rashid added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and graduate student guard Preston Maccoux came off the bench to score 11 points with five rebounds and a career-high tying three blocks.

Mazzeo scored 17 of his points during the first half to help CWRU jump out to a 47-39 lead by halftime. In a period that was played relatively close throughout, the Spartans began to pull away toward the end of the frame, using an 8-0 run that featured threes from Mazzeo and Rashid to turn a 32-29 advantage with 4:22 left to a 40-29 lead with 2:58 to play. Emory pulled back within six points in the final minute of the half, but a jumper by Mazzeo on the final shot of the half extended the Spartans' lead to 47-39 heading into the break.

CWRU saw its lead grow to 11 points, 57-46, on a three by Mazzeo with 16:10 left in the game, but the Eagles trimmed back to four points, 62-58, with 12:52 to go. The Spartans followed with a 9-0 run, going ahead by a game-high 13 points, 71-58, on a layup by Mazzeo with 10:50 left. Emory refused to go away easily, staying close enough to take advantage of a four-minute and 28-second scoreless stretch for the Spartans that saw an 82-74 lead with 5:39 left turn into an 84-82 deficit with 1:42 to play.

With 1:11 left, Kahl broke the Spartans' scoreless streak with a layup, knotting the score at 84-84. The game remained tied until a foul with 19 seconds left sent Emory's Ben Pearce to the free-throw line. Pearce made one of his two free throws, giving the Eagles a one point lead and setting up the last-second heroics for Kahl and Thorburn.

CWRU made 30-of-64 shots in the game (46.9%) and converted 11-of-27 three-point opportunities (40.7%). The Spartans also dished out 17 assists as a team during the game.

Friday night's win extended the Spartans' regular season home winning streak to 13 straight games, dating back to the end of last season.

The Spartans will continue a stretch of three straight home games to end their 2023-24 regular season on Sunday when the team plays host to the University of Rochester at noon inside Horsburgh Gymnasium.