The University of Rochester men's basketball team was able to hang tough with the 3rd-ranked Emory University Eagles on Saturday, but ultimately fell by a 95-90 score in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams.
 
URochester falls to 7-5 (0-1 UAA) on the year, while Emory improves to 11-1 (1-0 UAA) with the victory. Emory's win breaks a 37-37 tie in the all-time series between the schools, dating back to the 1987-88 season. The Eagles have won four straight against the Yellowjackets.
 
Four starters finished in double-figures for the Yellowjackets, led by senior Corvin Oprea who had 27 points and nine rebounds. He made four three 3-pointers on the night and was 9-for-15 shooting overall. Classmate Tomiwa Adetosoye had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, while first-year Jordan Owusu chipped in 17 points and three steals. John Mayhew added 10 points, 8 rebounds and a career-high 5 blocks.
 
Emory led wire-to-wire and was paced by monster performances from Ethan Fauss, Ben Pearce and Mario Awasum. Fauss had 29 points and 16 rebounds, making five shots from 3-point range. Pearce flirted with a triple-double, ending with 22 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds, while Awasum also had a double-double, ending with 18 points and 13 rebounds. AJ Harris added 12 points and Spencer Hall led the Eagle bench with ten points.
 
The game started out close for the first five minutes, until the Eagles used a 10-2 spurt to take a ten-point advantage with 12:11 left in the half. Harris and Fauss each scored four points in the stretch, while Rochester made just 1-of-7 shots to fall behind.
 
Over the next three minutes, Rochester battled back to within one, scoring 12 of the next 15 points in the game. Oprea had a layup and an old-fashioned 3-point play during that timeframe, while Bernard Dushie Jr., Theo Murray and Justin Odibo also recording buckets.
 
Up 22-21, the Eagles finished off the half outscoring Rochester by six to take a 41-34 lead into the halftime break. Hall ended the first half by beating the buzzer with a layup inside.
 
Emory started the second half on an 8-0 run to boost its lead to 15 points after about two minutes. The lead ballooned to 17 following a Fauss 3-pointer with 13 minutes left in regulation.
 
Rochester rallied though, rattling off a 13-2 run to cut the lead to six following an Owusu 3-pointer from the wing. Two Fauss free throws made the lead eight at the midway point of the final period.
 
Later on, Emory went cold for a three-minute stretch, allowing the Yellowjackets to record another run, 9-2, to trim the deficit to just one point following a pair of free throws from Mayhew. The Eagles were 1-for-7 in the late portion of the game to allow the 'Jackets back into it.
 
On Emory's next possession, Mayhew blocked a shot from Jair Knight inside, but the Eagles retained possession. The second chance allowed Fauss to nail a corner triple to regain momentum for the visitors, boosting the lead back to four.
 
A missed URochester 3-pointer and rebound by Emory led to two more points for the Eagles, courtesy of Pearce free throws. Pearce finished 10-for-12 at the charity stripe, continuing a solid season at the line, where the senior is shooting 92%.
 
Over the final few minutes, the Yellowjackets got as close as four on multiple occasions, but the Eagles were solid at the line down the stretch to put the game away.
 
Emory did the bulk of its work in the paint on Saturday, outscoring UR 60-38 in that category. Overall, the Eagles ended at 47% shooting in the game, while the Yellowjackets shot 41%.
 
URochester improved greatly on its 3-pointers in the second half, making seven triples after hitting just one in the opening 20 minutes. The 'Jackets ended the game hitting 32% from 3-point range, while Emory made 29%. Rochester's strength was at the free throw line, with the team hitting 87% (20-23) attempts.
 
The Yellowjackets are back in action next weekend for its first doubleheader UAA conference weekend of the year. Rochester plays at NYU on Friday evening before traveling to Brandeis for a Sunday matinee.