From Emory University Athletics
Senior McPherson Moore scored a game-high 21 points to lead five double-figure scorers, and the Emory men's basketball team opened University Athletic Association play with a victory over the University of Rochester Saturday afternoon. The Eagles won their third straight game and raised their overall record to 9-3 (1-0 UAA) with a 77-54 decision over the Yellowjackets who slipped to 6-6 (0-1 UAA).
The win also marked the 100th win for seventh-year head coach Jason Zimmerman. Zimmerman, the second-winningest coach in Emory history, now has a school and career mark of 100-64.
Moore connected on nine-of-15 from the floor, along with a pair of free throws, en route to his fifth contest of 20 or more points this season. Moore also tied senior Jake Davis and junior Josh Schattie for team honors with five rebounds. Davis was the team's second-high scorer with 15 points while junior Alex Foster totaled 12 points on four-of-seven three-point shooting. Rounding out the Eagles' double-digit scorers were sophomore Davis Rao and junior Michael Florin with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Emory got off to a blazing start, hitting 10 of its first 14 field goals in bolting to a 22-10 lead with 11:30 left in the first half. Moore accounted for 11 of the team's first 13 points, going five-for-five from the floor, and finished the opening stanza with 15 points. Emory held a 13-10 edge before nine unanswered points pushed its lead to a dozen points. The Eagles maintained their double-figure lead for the remainder of the half and built an 18-point cushion, 36-18, with 4:24 remaining after a by Moore capped a 12-4 burst. The Yellowjackets crept back to within 10 points with 39 seconds left but Foster's second triple of the afternoon with seven ticks on the clock gave the Eagles a 39-26 edge at halftime.
A three pointer b Kevin Sheehy narrowed UR's deficit to 12 points early in the second half, but Emory responded by scoring nine of next 13 points to extend its advantage to 56-39 with 10:48. The Yellowjackets stayed within striking distance when Sheehy's third trey of the stanza cut Emory's margin to 13 points. However a devastating 14-0 blitz, started by a Foster three pointer and ended by a three-point play by Davis, enabled Emory to surge to a 27-point bulge, 77-50, with just 2:43 remaining.
Emory concluded the afternoon shooting an even 50 percent (31-of-62) from the field while holding Rochester to 32.2 percent (19-of-59), the third straight and sixth time this year an opponent had shot less than 40 percent from the floor vs. the Eagles. Emory hit on 43.5 percent of its three-point tries with six players knocking down shots from beyond the arc.