ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Fourth-ranked Washington (Mo.) inched closer to its third consecutive University Athletic Association title with a 94-80 win against Emory on Sunday afternoon at the WU Field House.
Washington U. extended its winning streak to 13 games and improved to 18-2 overall, 9-0 in the UAA. Emory fell to 13-7 overall, 5-4 in the UAA.
With a win at Brandeis on Friday, the Bears would wrap up at least a share of the UAA title, their fifth in the past six seasons.
Senior guard Alan Aboona scored a season-high 25 points and dished out seven assists in the win, while senior forward Chris Klimek had 25 points and nine rebounds. Senior guard Tim Cooney also scored in double figures with 15 points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Matt Palucki (nine points, six rebounds), junior forward Nick Burt (six points, nine rebounds) and junior guard David Fatoki (eight points, five rebounds) also contributed in the win.
Washington U. shot 54.2 percent (32 of 59) from the field, including 9 of 18 from 3-point range. The Bears hit 21 of 33 from the free-throw line and outrebounded Emory 48-32.
The Bears broke open a 40-40 halftime tie by limiting Emory to 35.3 percent (12 of 34) shooting in the second half. Washington U. also shot 60.7 percent (17 of 28) from the field and hit 18 of 23 from the free-throw line in the second frame.
Washington U. put the lead into double figures at 60-49 with 12:08 to play after back-to-back 3s by Aboona. His second 3-pointer highlighted a 14-4 run for the Bears. Washington U.’s defense limited Emory to two field goals in a span of seven minutes. The Bears got the lead to 20 (83-63) with 5:57 to play after a pair of free-throws by Klimek.
Jake Davis, the leading scorer in the UAA, finished with a season-high 36 points on 12-of-28 shooting from the field for Emory. He has scored in double figures in 19 of 20 games this season. St. Louis native McPherson Moore (11 points), Alex Foster (11) and Will Trawick (10) also scored in double figures for the Eagles, who hit 7 of 26 (26.9 percent) from 3-point range.
