Emory Sports Information
Senior McPherson Moore and junior Alex Foster combined for 42 points in leading the Emory men’s basketball team to a big University Athletic Association win over New York University. The Eagles won their third straight game and raised their overall record to 16-7, 8-4 in the league, following Friday evening’s 86-77 decision over the Violets who fell to 15-8 in overall action, 5-7 in the league.
Moore rang up a team-high 22 points, closing out the evening converting eight-of-17 from the field, including three triples, in registering his third straight and ninth contest of 20 or more points this season. Foster finished with 20 points, his fourth consecutive and tenth double-figure scoring effort of the year, sinking six-of-12 from the floor while draining four triples in seven opportunities. Foster also grabbed seven rebounds. Senior Jake Davis rounded out the club’s double-figure scorers with 19 points.
Emory enjoyed a slight edge in field goal shooting, hitting 42.9 percent of its attempts (30-of-70) while NYU posted an effort of 41.9 percent (26-of-62). The Eagles hit 10 three-point field goals in 26 attempts, and were solid at the charity stripe, converting 16-of-18. Emory outrebounded the Violets, 42-37, and were paced by sophomore Will Trawick‘s nine boards.
With Moore scoring 14 and Foster chipping in eight points, respectively, Emory took a 46-35 lead into halftime. The Eagles led for the majority of the opening stanza and closed out the final of the half with Moore accounting for all of the scoring in a 7-0 run, including a three-pointer from just over half court at the buzzer.
NYU’s Ryan Tana sank a three pointer, one of his six in the game, to cut Emory’s lead to 47-38 early in the second half, but the Eagles rattled off a 9-2 spurt, with Foster hitting a trey in that surge, to give them what would prove to be their largest lead of the game, 56-40, with 16:59 remaining. The Violets battled back with a 13-4 run of their own, with Tana scoring seven points, to draw to within seven points with 10:44 on the clock. Emory held a 10-point cushion, 65-55, after a three-pointer by Davis Rao, but NYU cut the gap to five points with 6:02 left. A three-point play by Davis upped the Eagles’ lead to eight points, but a layup by the Violets’ Costis Gontikas followed by a pair of free throws, drew them to within four points with 5:10 on the clock. A three pointer by Trawick and a pair of makes from the stripe by Davis helped Emory to an eight-point advantage, but another trey from Tana kept NYU’s alive, down just 76-71, with 3:40 remaining. Tana was a thorn in Emory’s side all evening, finishing with a game-high 31 points and knocking down six three pointers. After Tana’s three pointer, Emory finally sealed the outcome by holding NYU scoreless for nearly three minutes and seeing Foster personally account for a 7-0 burst that stretched its lead to a dozen points, 83-71, with 1:45 left.
Emory returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Brandeis University in a noon tip.
