From Emory University Athletics
Junior Christopher Avant scored a career-high 26 points to lead five double-figure scorers, and the Emory men's basketball team closed out a successful weekend with a road win against Carnegie Mellon. The Eagles won their third straight and upped their overall record to 12-4, 3-2 in the University Athletic Association with a 93-77 decision over the Tartans who fell to 9-7 in overall play, 3-2 in the league.
Avant closed out the day hitting a career-high tying 10 field goals in 14 attempts, including a pair of triples, and sinking four-of-five from the charity stripe in registering his 11th double-figure scoring performance of the campaign and third of 20 or more points. Avant had plenty of help with junior Adam Gigax next on the team's scoresheet with 16 points. Sophomore Beau Bommarito was dialed in, posting a career-best 13 points that saw him knock down five-of-seven from the floor, including three treys in four opportunities. Rounding out the double-digit scorers were senior Jim Gordon and junior Whit Rapp with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Rapp also doled out a career-high tying 13 assists, his sixth double-figure outing in that category this season.
On the day, the Eagles were successful on 53.8 percent (35 of 68) of their field goal tries, their second-best mark of the campaign, compared to CMU's 39.7 percent (29 of 73). Emory sank 43.5 percent (10 of 23) from beyond the arc while the Tartans converted six of their 24 tries. Emory held a slight edge on the glass, grabbing 39 rebounds to Carnegie Mellon's 37. Avant paced the Emory rebounding effort with 12 caroms, which represented his fourth double-double of the season.
Emory bolted out the gates, sinking 11 of its first 19 field goal attempts in racing to a 25-10 lead with 11:26 remaining in the stanza. Chris Avant did a fair share of damage to the Tartans in that stretch, picking up 12 points on five-of-six field goal shooting. The Tartans got to within 11 points with 5:17 on the clock, but with Gordon scoring four points and Avant and Adam Gigax hitting buckets, the Eagles went into the break with a 41-29 advantage. Avant led all players with 14 points during the opening 20 minutes while Bommarito tallied seven points. The Eagles were successful on 52.8 percent (19 of 36) from the floor compared to CMU's mark of 39.4 percent (13 of 33). Emory outrebounded the Tartans by a 25-13 count with Avant pulling down seven boards. Whit Rapp directed the Emory offense with precision, doling out seven assists.
An 18-8 run to open the second half, which saw Avant produce 10 points and Gigax five, propelled the Eales to an insurmountable 59-37 bulge with 15:21 left in the contest. Emory still maintained a 21-point cushion, 69-48, following a triple by Bommarito with 9:04 on the clock. A bucket by Gordon with 5:02 left gave Emory its final lead of 20 or more points, 81-61, before the Tartans scored 16 of the game's final 26 points.