Box Score Behind a career-best 32-point effort from graduate student guard Mitch Prendergast, Case Western Reserve University built a 12 point lead halfway through the second half, but 18th-ranked Emory University was able to overcome the deficit, as the Spartans fell 88-84 to the Eagles on Friday night.
The loss dropped the Spartans to 17-5 overall on the year and to 7-4 in University Athletic Association play, while Emory improved to 17-5 with a 10-2 league record.
Prendergast's 32 points match the 10th-most in a single game in program history, and are the most in a contest by a CWRU player since T.J. Duckett's 34-point showing against Mount Saint Joseph on November 25, 2017. He connected on six threes on 12 tries, falling just one shy of matching the program's single-game record for the second-straight game, while making 10-of-21 shots overall and collecting seven rebounds.
Junior forward Cole Frilling added 17 points and four rebounds, while graduate student guard Griffin Kornaker and sophomore forward Hunter Drenth scored 10 points apiece in the game.
Friday's affair was a thrilling one from the start, and the two teams exchanged blows early and often, with the Spartans hoping to stay in the race for the UAA title with a win, and Emory looking to clinch at least a share of the 2021-22 UAA Championship with a victory. Prendergast went toe-to-toe with the reigning conference Player of the Year in the first half, the Eagles' Matt Schner, with Prendergast tallying 21 of his points over the opening 20 minutes, and Schner scoring 20. The game remained within five points one way or the other until a quick 6-0 run for the Spartans turned a 39-38 lead into a 45-38 advantage with 3:28 left in the first period. The Eagles pulled back within four points, but Prendergast's fifth three of the opening half with 54 seconds remaining helped the Spartans go ahead 48-41, before Emory notched the final bucket of the period to close the gap to five points, 48-43, by halftime.
Emory was able to cut the lead to three early in the second half, but CWRU expanded its lead once again, going ahead 76-64 on a three pointer by Kornaker with 10:09 to play in the game. However, Emory rallied from that point, tying the game at 79-79 by the 5:10 mark, and going ahead 81-79 on a jumper by Schner with 4:06 to play. CWRU tied the game at 81 apiece on a layup by Kornaker at the 3:24 mark, but Emory went on to score the next two baskets to grab a four-point lead with 1:32 left to play.
The Spartans had a late opportunity to even the score again. After graduate student forward Brian Hines knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the Eagles' lead to two points with just under a minute remaining, a missed shot gave CWRU the ball back with 27 seconds remaining, but a turnover gave the ball back to Emory, costing the Spartans a chance to tie the game late.
Schner finished with a career-high 39 points in the win for Emory.
CWRU finished the game shooting 40.6% overall and 32.1% from behind the three-point line. CWRU held a major advantage at the free throw line, making 88.5% (23-of-26) of their attempts compared to 68.8% (22-of-32) for Emory.
Case Western Reserve will be back in action on Sunday, as the Spartans travel to Rochester, N.Y. for their final road game of the regular season, a 12:00 p.m. tipoff against the University of Rochester Yellowjackets.
