Fueled by a balanced scoring attack that featured four double-figure scorers, the Emory men's basketball team made a successful start to the 2019-20 season Saturday evening by earning a win at Guilford College.  The No. 6-ranked Eagles won the program's 10th season opener in their last 11 tries following an 89-67 verdict over the No. 19 Quakers, raising the school's all-time record in season openers to 23-11.

Juniors Matt Davet and Romin Williams shared for Emory scoring honors with 18 points apiece, going a combined 10-of-17 from the field, including seven-of-11 from three-point range.  Williams converted six field goals in 11 attempts and was successful on four triples in five tries.  Davet ended four-of-seven from the floor and three-of-six from distance.  Junior Lawrence Rowley was next up on the squad's scoresheet with 17 points while classmate Matt Schner rounded out the quartet with 12 points to go along with a team-high eight boards.

Emory closed out the contest hitting 53.6 percent (30-of-56) of its field goal attempts while Guilford converted 37.3 percent (28-of-75).  The Eagles were solid from beyond the arc, draining 44.4 percent (12-of-27) of their attempts while the Quakers sank just 19.4 percent (6-of-31).

Emory took control of the game early on, using a 19-2 spree over a five-minute stretch to bolt to a 32-13 lead with just under nine minutes left in the opening stanza.  Davet accounted for 12 points during the run, hitting three three-point shots with his final also resulting in a four-point play.  Emory maintained its 19-point cushion with 4:15 left in the stanza following a bucket by Rowley, but the Quakers closed out the half on a 12-3 spurt that narrowed the Emory lead to 45-35 at the break.  Davet picked up 16 points during the opening 20 minutes, helping the Eagles shoot a keen 61.5 percent (16-of-26) from the floor.   Emory held a 53-43 edge with 15:30 left in the contest before scoring 12 of the game's next 14 points, which saw Williams knocked down a pair of triples, boosting in advantage to 62-45 with 13:01 on the clock.  Later on in the frame, an 11-0 charge keyed by Rowley five points, extended the Eagles' bulge 76-48.

Emory returns to action on Tuesday (Nov. 12) when it plays at Berry College.