From Washington University Athletics
The No. 2-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team took over sole possession of first place in the University Athletic Association (UAA) standings with an 84-67 win at No. 13 Emory University Sunday in Atlanta.
WashU has won eight-straight games and is 16-2 and 7-0 in the UAA. The Bears snapped Emory's 11-game winning streak as the Eagles fell to 15-3 and 6-1 in the UAA. WashU achieved a 7-0 conference record for the third time in the past five seasons and have won 14-consecutive UAA road contests dating back to 2015-16.
The Bears shot 59.5-percent from the field in the first half as senior Matt Highsmith scored all 19 of his points in the opening 20 minutes of play. WashU finished the game with a 53.2-percent shooting percentage while holding Emory to 37-percent (27-73).
The Red & Green totaled 52 points in the paint to double Emory's 26, while also outrebounding the Eagles 44-37 in the contest. Senior David Schmelter posted his second-consecutive and fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Senior Andrew Sanders moved into 20th place all-time in WashU's scoring history with 19 points by passing Dylan Richter (2007-12) and Chris Klimek (2011-14) in the process. Sanders is now two points shy of 19th all-time behind J.J. Siepierski's 1,130 points (1993-97).
Highsmith and Sanders led the Bears with 19 points apiece as all five members of the Bears starting five reached double figures: seniors Kevin Kucera (17), Schmelter (15) and Jake Knupp (10) all scored in double digits.
Highsmith had a dominant first half of play nearly setting a personal-best for scoring with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting which included 4-of-5 from beyond the arc as the Bears held a 51-33 lead.
A 13-4 run late in the first half netted a double digit lead for WashU. Sanders scored five of the Bears seven consecutive points on the run and Kucera hit a buzzer-beating triple from the wing to conclude the first half scoring.
The Bears lead reached 24 points in the second half on a layup by Sanders with 14:18 to go as WashU led 64-40. The Eagles immediately began cutting away with a 14-2 run that halved WashU's lead.
WashU scored six of the final eight points to claim the 84-67 victory and sole possession of first place in the UAA.
Emory's leading scorer was Adam Gigax who totaled 18 points while shooting 4-of-8 from three-point range. Romin Williams also reached double figures for the Eagles with 13 points off the bench.
WashU concluded its four-game UAA road trip and will return home to the WU Field House Friday at 8 p.m. against No. 22 Rochester. The Bears will be celebrating the 2018 Sports Hall of Fame Class, which includes 2008 and 2009 National Champion and WashU all-time assists leader Sean Wallis.
BEAR NOTEBOOK
• WashU leads the all-time series with Emory 48-13
• Sanders has scored in double figures in 28-straight games
• The Bears are 3-1 against ranked teams this season
• WashU is 9-1 away from home this season
• Highsmith reached the 800-point plateau during the victory (818)
• The Senior Class scored 80 of 84 points in the win.