Box Score The seventh-ranked Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team overcame a 17-point deficit to force overtime against 16th-ranked Emory University on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, but the Spartans could not complete the comeback, falling 90-81 to the Eagles.
The Spartans dropped to 11-2 on the season with the loss, including a 1-2 mark in University Athletic Association games, while Emory improved to 2-1 in UAA games with an 11-3 overall record.
Graduate student guard Mitch Prendergast led all CWRU players with a season-high 25 points while notching a career-best nine rebounds with four assists and two steals. Senior forward Cole Frilling scored all 18 of his points in the second half and overtime and added 12 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season. Returning to his home state of Georgia, sophomore forward Umar Rashid came off the bench to score 14 points and junior forward Ian Elam added 11 points and five rebounds for the Spartans.
Despite the loss, the Spartans showed resiliency on Sunday and overcame a slow shooting start to the game. After connecting on just 28.6% of their shots in the opening half, CWRU rebounded to connect on 42.9% of its attempts in the second half. However, CWRU lost its stroke in overtime, making just one of seven attempts from the floor during the extra period.
The Spartans trailed early and fell behind by as many as 17 points in the first half, as Emory grabbed a 41-24 lead with 3:21 to play in the period. However, CWRU was able to climb back in the game, as Prendergast scored six of his 14 first-half points over the final 3:09 of the first half to help the Spartans end the frame on a 7-0 run, trimming the advantage to 41-31 by the break.
CWRU cut the Emory lead to three with 14:40 to play, 51-48, following back-to-back threes from Frilling, before baskets on consecutive possessions by Emory made it a seven-point differential again. Later in the period, a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Sam Trunley cut the Eagles' lead to a pair, 55-53 with 11:46 remaining. CWRU would take its first lead of the game with 9:38 remaining, after jumpers on back-to-back possessions by Rashid and Prendergast put the Spartans ahead 61-60, and a traditional three-point play by Elam on the Spartans' next possession with 9:15 to go put CWRU in front 64-60.
CWRU remained ahead in the close game, leading by as many as five points, until the 3:27 mark when a pair of free throws put Emory back in front 71-70, and after a Spartan miss on their next possession, a jumper extended Emory's lead to three with three minutes to play. With 1:46 left and the Spartans still down three, a steal by Frilling set up a traditional three-point play to even score at 73-73, before Emory regained the lead, 75-73 with 1:13 left. With Emory still leading by two, a turnover by the Eagles gave the Spartans one final chance with 19 seconds left on the clock. Off a Spartan timeout, Prendergast knocked down a layup with seven seconds left to even the score at 75-75. A charge by the Eagles gave CWRU the ball back with two seconds left, but CWRU turnover over the ensuing inbounds pass with one second left, as did Emory off their final inbounds attempt, sending the game into overtime.
Emory scored the first six points of the overtime period, before a free throw by Rashid cut the deficit back to five points with 3:20 to go. Frilling added two more free throws with 2:38 to play to pull back within three, but Emory extended its lead back to five following a pair of free throws of its own with two minutes left and would go on to lead by as many as 11 points in the closing seconds of the game.
The Spartans will return home to Cleveland to host a pair of UAA games next weekend, welcoming Washington (Mo.) to Horsburgh Gymnasium on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Chicago on Sunday at noon.
