ATLANTA, Ga. – Michael Florin’s jumper with one second remaining held off a Guilford College second-half rally as Emory University picked up a Saturday afternoon victory over the Quakers, 77-75.
Guilford nearly erased an 11-point halftime deficit in the first 3:00 minutes of the second half thanks to a 13-3 run that cut the Eagles’ lead to one. After the Eagles countered with a pair of baskets, a Hunter Jackson three-point shot gave the Quakers their first lead of the contest with 13:44 left. Guilford grew the lead to as large as four before Emory tied the game with 9:01 remaining in the second half. A Josh Schattie tip-in with 8:27 left gave the Eagles the lead again. The Quakers methodically chipped away at the Eagle lead for the remainder of the period, capped by a Jonny Rice jumper with 31 seconds remaining to tie the game, 75-75, before Florin hit the game-winning jumper to give the Eagles the win.
The Quakers boasted four players in double-figure scoring, led by 16-point efforts from Matt McCarthy and Rice. Trever Hyatt added 15 points while Brandon Staves came off the bench to add 10 points. Alex Foster posted a double-double, 23 points and 14 rebounds, for the Eagles while Florin added 21 points.
The Quakers fought cold shooting all game long, finishing the contest shooting 34.2% from the field, but hit nine three-pointers while shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc. Quaker shooting warmed up in the second half, shooting 38.9% for the period. Emory shot 43.7% from the field for the contest while matching the Quakers from three-point range at 9-for-27, 33.3%.
Emory won the rebounding battle, 46-43, but the Quakers held the advantage on turnovers, 13-8, while turning Emory’s 13 turnovers into 17 points. The Eagles held a decisive advantage in transition play, leading in fast break points, 27-8, while holding a narrow advantage in the paint, 34-28.
The Quakers return to action Tuesday, traveling to Averett University for a 7 p.m. contest.