ATLANTA, GA – University of Rochester men's basketball fell to the 2nd-ranked Emory University Eagles, 101-64, on Saturday afternoon inside the Woodruff PE Center Arena, dropping their game of their University Athletic Association (UAA) conference slate.
 
With the win, the No. 2-ranked Eagles (11-1, 1-0 UAA) notch their first UAA victory of their year, while the Yellowjackets fall to 6-6 (0-1 UAA) on the season.
 
Despite the frigid temperatures in Atlanta, the Eagles got off to a blistering start, scoring the first two baskets of the contest and leading by as many as 13 in the early going. Nate Sock broke the seal for the Yellowjackets with his driving layup just over two minutes into the contest, but Emory quickly built a double-digit advantage, taking a 15-4 lead on AJ Harris' triple with 16:05 left in the first.
 
The Eagles would stretch their lead out to 13 before Rochester got its offense into gear, as the 'Jackets closed the gap to just one over the next 10 minutes. Trailing 24-11 following Cale Martens' jumper with 13:08 to play in the first half, Bennett Kwiecinski and Sock knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, cutting the Eagles' lead down to single digits.
 
John Coppolino IV answered on the other end with a triple for the Eagles, but another bucket from Kwiecinski, as well as a dunk from David Ackles, pulled UR within six, 27-21.
 
A little over a minute later, Logan Jagodzinski got in on the scoring, tallying seven-straight points all by himself to make it a four-point game, going 2-for-2 at the free-throw line before knocking down his second of two first-half three-pointers.
 
Jair Knight's pull-up, two of a game-high 29 points for the junior, brought Emory's lead back out to six, but Theo Murray converted a three-point play to bring UR back within a possession, and after the Eagles turned it over, Sock sank a jumper to make it a one-point game.
 
In total, Rochester outscored the Eagles, 22-10 over a 6:27 stretch, shooting 8-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, while forcing three Emory turnovers to make it a one-point game, 34-33, with 6:41 until the halftime buzzer.
 
However, Harris answered Sock's make with a three to bring Emory's lead back out to four, and the Eagles would fluster the Yellowjackets with their defensive zone for much of the rest of the first half, outscoring UR, 19-6, over the final 4:29 of the first half to take a 53-39 lead at the halftime break.
 
The Eagles held Rochester to just two made field goals over the final four-plus minutes of the first half, and then roared out of the gate to start the second half, opening the final frame on an 18-4 run.
 
Behind 11 points from Knight over the seven-minute stretch, the Eagles extended their lead to 71-43 with 12:59 remaining, turning a 16-point halftime lead into a 28-point second-half advantage.
 
Emory led by as many as 37 in the second half, as the Yellowjackets shot just 21.1 percent (8-for-38) in the period, compared to 45.5 percent for the Eagles, pulling away with the 101-64 victory, as they outscored Rochester, 48-25 in the second half.
 
Jagodzinski led four 'Jackets in double figures with a team-high 15 points and six rebounds, while Murray scored 13 points and Kwiecinski and Sock each added 10.
 
The Yellowjackets shot just 32.9 percent for the contest and 7-for-20 from three, while the Eagles hit 48.6 percent of their attempts, and 11-of-33 from beyond the arc.
 
Knight led all scorers with 29 points, while Logan Shanahan turned in an 11-point, eight-rebound and seven-block performance for the 2nd-ranked Eagles.
 
Rochester is back on the road next weekend when they head to Waltham, MA for a Friday evening matchup with Brandeis University on Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m.