Carrolton, GA – In their second conference game of the year, the Emory Oxford Men's basketball team lost to the Golden Knights of West Georgia Technical College 99-95. With this overtime decision, the Eagles drop to 17-7 for the season and are automatically out of postseason play.
First-year JJ Halaby led five Eagles in double figures with 28 points including 6-for-8 shooting from behind the arc. Sophomore Zane Patel produced a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while going 5-for-9 from three point range. First-year Jermon Clark also produced a double-double with 17 points and a team-high 17 rebounds. Sophomores Eric Lee and Ryan Kwong had 14 and 12 points to round out the night for Oxford. Halaby and Kwong led the Eagles with 6 assists.
The Eagles set a new single game record for most three-pointers made in a game with 17, but this was not enough to get the victory. Going into the break tied 42-42, the Golden Knights came out strong and grabbed a 12-point lead midway into the second half, which was their largest of the game. The Eagles battled back with Halaby, Patel, and Lee connecting from long-range on multiple occasions. The Eagles were able to regain the lead and with 2:46 left in regulation, they pushed their lead to 8. However, the Golden Knights put pressure on the Eagles and was able to tie the game back up and force overtime. In overtime, the Eagles were outscored 9-5 ending their hopes for playing in the postseason.
"This was heartbreaking for all of us," stated Head Coach Roderick Stubbs. "The guys battled until the very end but just came up short. We still have five games left in the season and we will continue to compete and finish the season out strong."
The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, February 9th against Georgia Northwestern Technical College. The game is set at Rossville, Georgia and tipoff is scheduled for a 4:00PM start.