ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Emory University fell just short of its first men’s basketball title Sunday, losing to Mary Washington University 75-73 on a heartbreaking buzzer-beater.
Emory’s tournament run was defined by close games and the championship game was no different.
Emory faced an uncertain road on the way to the championship game. The Eagles were the No. 2 team in the country after coming into the tournament with a 20-3 regular season record.
They had to come back against Roanoke in the second round and fend off Illinois Wesleyan in the Elite Eight after blowing an 11-point lead. D3hoops.com National Player of the Year Ben Pearce came through with a last-second shot against Wesleyan to send Emory to the Final Four, where the Eagles cruised past Christopher Newport University 72-58.
Neither team led by double digits until there were less than six minutes remaining.
A five-minute scoreless streak by Emory allowed Mary Washington to pull away 65-50 with 4:40 remaining before Ethan Fauss, who played the hero for the Eagles in their second-round game against Roanoke, led a late charge.
Fauss scored 10 of Emory’s final 23 points, including a three-pointer to tie the game at 73-73 with 12 seconds left.
Jair Knight and Fauss scored 24 apiece to lead Emory. Mario Awasum had nine points and 19 rebounds.
It was all for naught; Mary Washington forward Colin Mitchell responded with a jumper as time expired to seal the program’s first national title.
Pearce was almost a nonfactor for Emory. The school’s all-time leading scorer and the only one to top 2,000 points missed all seven of his shots until hitting a 3-pointer with 90 seconds left. He was 7 for 11 at the foul line.
Mary Washington’s bench was a contributing factor in its win over the Eagles. All but one player on the Mary Washington roster scored, compared with three for Emory.
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