Box Score Maryville's Falls 78-69 To Emory
ATLANTA – In a battle of two teams in the top 25 of the D3hoops.com preseason poll, Maryville fell 78-69 at Emory in the first loss of the season for the Scots.
Maryville shined from deep as they shot 50 percent on shots from downtown. The Scots went 8-16 in a performance that was second-best for the Scots this season.
Emory, ranked No. 13 in the preseason, outrebounded the Scots 55-42 which was the largest deficit of the year for Maryville. The Eagles also used 16 points-off-turnovers and 22 second-chance points to take control of the contest.
Felix Uadiale led the Scots with the sixth double-double of his collegiate career. The junior had 17 points and collected 12 rebounds.
Matthew Schner paced the Eagles with 26 points with Nick Stuck next with a total of 14.
Maryville sits at 4-1 after the game while the Eagles move to 3-2 against a challenging schedule.
The game was the third straight road contest for Maryville, which head coach Raul Placeres said is part of the bigger picture for his team.
"I was pleased with our effort both nights," Placeres said of the weekend split in Atlanta. "I challenged this team by playing – including our scrimmage and our exhibition game – six of our first seven games on the road. That should pay dividends come February and March.
"This was an NCAA tournament-type game today. It had that type of feel. But you've got to show composure, especially after we took that lead to start the game. We didn't have the composure they showed down the stretch in taking good shots, but we will learn from this."
Strong Start
An 18-2 run for the Scots kicked off the first half of the game. Kordell Kah hit a 3-pointer for Maryville to give the visitors the largest lead of the game at 18-2 with just over 14 minutes left in the opening half.
Emory came storming back and took its first lead of the game at 25-24 at the 6 1/2-minute mark of the first. The lead changed hands six more times before the Eagles pulled away to a 36-31 lead at the half.
Two free throws from Jekobe Coleman and one from Kah pushed the Scots back into the lead 48-46 with just under 13 minutes left in regulation, but it was Emory who prevailed 78-69 in the game.
"You've got to take this in, let it sit, and come back ready to get better," Placeres said. "That's part of being a competitor. Now we are looking forward to three games at home before finals."
Maryville has two of those games this week inside the Boydson H. Baird Gymnasium, starting with a Wednesday tilt against Asbury (1-5). The Scots then open USA South play with Huntingdon (4-3) on Saturday before a Dec. 8 matchup against Berry.
