From Emory University Athletics
Senior Davis Rao led four double-figure scorers with a game-high 18 points, 14 coming in the second half, to lead the Emory men's basketball team to a Friday evening win over Carnegie Mellon University. The Eagles upped their overall record to 10-5, 3-1 in the University Athletic Association, following a 75-61 triumph over the Tartans who fell to 7-8 overall, 0-4 in the UAA.
Rao finished out the night, sinking five-of-seven from the floor, including a pair of triples, and all six of his charity tosses in posting his ninth double-digit performance of the campaign. Rao's effort over the final 20 minutes of action helped Emory enjoy a 46-37 scoring advantage, with the Eagles connecting on 50 percent (17 of 34) from the floor compared to CMU's 35.5 percent (11 of 31).
Junior Jonathan Terry added 13 points, hitting five field goals in 12 tries, including three treys, while sophomore Adam Gigax and Whit Rapp posted 12 and 10 points, respectively. Gigax led Emory with six rebounds.
For the game, Emory shot 42.2 percent (27 of 64) from the floor vs. the Tartans' 33.9 percent (21 of 62). CMU shot a shade better from three-point range, 32.1 percent (9 of 28) to Emory's 29.2 percent (7 of 24), but turned the ball over on 16 occasions that Emory parlayed into 18 points.
With Rapp scoring all of his 10 points during the opening 20 minutes of play, Emory took a 29-24 lead into halftime. Holding a six-point edge early in the second half, Rao scored seven points during a 9-3 Eagle spurt that doubled their advantage to 12 points, 46-34, with 12:47 left in the game. A three pointer by the Tartans' Ryan Maha cut Emory's margin to nine points with 7:58 on the clock, but the Eagles took command of the contest with a 12-2 blitz, which saw Gigax sink a pair of three pointers while scoring eight points in the decisive stretch, to take a 66-47 advantage with 3:38 remaining.
Emory returns to action on Sunday (Jan. 24) when it entertains Case Western Reserve in a noon start.
NOTES
** The win raised Emory's home record to 6-0 on the season. The Eagles are 64-8 over their last 72 home dates.
** Emory has outshot eight opponents from the floor this season and stands 6-2 in those encounters.
** Emory turned the ball over a season-low six times, its third single-figure game of the campaign. Over their last four games, the Eagles are averaging 8.75 miscues.
** Davis Rao has either led or shared for team scoring honors in five games this year.
** Emory shot 87.5 percent (14 of 16) from the foul line, its second-highest mark of the season. In its six home contests, the Eagles are connecting at a 78.3 percent clip (76 of 97) from the stripe.
** Junior Austin DaGue blocked three Carnegie Mellon shot attempts, his ninth game of the season with two or more rejections.
** Adam Gigax has the team's longest current streak at six game with a three-point field goal. His two makes from distance was his 10th performance of two or more treys this year.
** Freshman Gebereal Baitey logged a season-high 17 minutes and responded with a season-best six points, going three-of-six from the floor.