Higgs Records Double-Double in Loss to Emory

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – The Carnegie Mellon University men's basketball team fell to fifth-ranked Emory University on Sunday, February 22 after a second-half push by the Eagles. The 87-77 loss puts the Tartans at 3-9 in University Athletic Association (UAA) play and 11-12 overall while Emory rises to 10-2 in UAA play and 20-3 overall.

How it Happened

• Graduate student Nikola Dimitrijevic opened scoring with a layup made off an offensive rebound.
• The lead would switch a total of 11 times in the first half, with the eight happening before the 10-minute mark.
• Senior Buckley Dejardin would tie the game at 15 with a three-point shot, assisted by graduate student Sam Adusei at 13:50.
• Eight minutes later Emory led by 12 points before a three-point play by Dimitrijevic started a 13-2 run to bring the Tartans a point down on a layup by sophomore Evan Mirazimi.
• After three free throws by the Eagles in the last two minutes, graduate student Nolan Casey ended the period's scoring with a second-chance layup and the Tartans trailed by two, 46-44, at the half.
• The Eagles hit a three-pointer on the first possession of the second half and led by seven before a layup by junior Isaac Higgs off Mirazimi's defensive rebound brought the home team to within two points with ten minutes left in the half.
• The Tartans would also trail by two with 5:43 to play after free throws by Casey but the Eagles scored on their next two possessions to lead by seven.
• Despite the best efforts by the Tartans, the Eagles maintained the lead and finished the game with four free throws in the last minute to hold off the upset attempt by the Tartans.

Tartan Stats

• The Tartans shot 39.2% (29-74) from the field, 35.5% (11-31) from behind the arc, and 72.7% (8-11) from the free throw line.
• Dimitrijevic led the offense with 19 points, followed by Higgs with 17.
• Higgs and Casey both led with ten rebounds, as Higgs collected his first career double-double with a career-high in rebounds.
• Adusei had a season-high seven assists and two steals while Dimitrijevic had three blocks.

Eagle Stats

• Emory shot 40.8% (31-76) from the field, 33.3% (12-36) from behind the arc, and 81.3% (13-16) from the free throw line.
• Ben Pearce led the offense with 37 points while Ethan Fauss scored 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Up Next

The Tartans will travel to Atlanta, Georgia, to play Emory on Wednesday, February 25. Tip-off will be at 3:00 p.m.