In a high-pressure overtime matchup on Feb. 8, the then-No. 7 Emory University men’s basketball team defeated the then-No. 1 University of Chicago (UChicago) 97-94 in their second overtime win of the weekend.
Senior guard and forward Jair Knight delivered a career-high performance, putting up 36 points and sealing the victory with a steal in the final seconds of overtime. Despite his individual success, Knight said that the Eagles’ win was rooted in the team’s collective effort.
“Most of it was just a little more focus on emphasizing and capitalizing on opportunities that were presented on the offensive end,” Knight said. “It was just one of those games where you just had it going, and my teammates were just helping get me open and giving me the ball in transition.”
UChicago built momentum early in the game, capitalizing on foul trouble that forced the Eagles to rely heavily on their bench in the first half. Although the Eagles trailed 46-39 at halftime, Knight said the team never lost their composure.
“We’ve come down from larger deficits for sure,” Knight said. “And also understanding that there’s 40 minutes in the game, and as long as there’s time on that clock, there’s always a way.”
Senior guard Ben Pearce echoed this confidence and said the team entered the matchup undeterred by the previous weekend’s losses to UChicago and Washington University in St. Louis (WashU).
“We were very confident that the results of last weekend weren’t indicative of us being the worse team or us not being capable of beating them,” Pearce said. “We felt like we were the better team both games last weekend, even though we didn’t win.”
Momentum shifted in the Eagles’ favor with their full rotation on the floor in the second half. The two teams traded baskets to begin the half, including a corner three-pointer by junior guard and forward AJ Harris to narrow the gap to four. UChicago turned it around and went on a run to extend the lead to 13 less than five minutes into the half.
However, the Eagles began to chip away at the lead before reclaiming it with a dunk by sophomore forward Mario Awasum. The two teams went back and forth again, ultimately pushing the game into overtime.
As the Eagles entered overtime, Knight said their mentality was to win by any means necessary and to keep playing together.
“The mindset was, as long as it takes, whatever it takes, to get a win,” Knight said. “Everybody played a little bit harder, and we ended up coming up with some big plays at the end.”
The two teams traded baskets again until the decisive moment unfolded in the final seconds of overtime. With the Eagles protecting a three-point lead, Knight intercepted UChicago’s inbound pass to secure the win.
“You start reading the inbounder, and I saw him starting to load up to a full court, so I just tried to position myself,” Knight said. “Just getting a hand on the ball and trying to make the clock tick away, that was the goal.”
Pearce also played a key role in setting up the offense for scoring opportunities, finishing the game with nine assists as he consistently found the open player for shots to put pressure on UChicago’s defense. Pearce explained that UChicago’s focus on covering him created more offensive looks for his teammates.
“They were kind of keying in on me as a scorer,” Pearce said. “There was a lot of opportunities to dish it out to teammates who were open and had better looks than I did.”
Following their two overtime wins, the Eagles jumped to No. 5 in the national rankings. Knight said these high-pressure games are preparing the team for the rest of the season.
“This is a really good testament to showing us about staying power and how we’re very capable,” Knight said. “Learning how to really rally and come up with wins, and being in these close situations as we’re going to need them down the line.”
