CHICAGO – The University of Chicago men's basketball seniors made sure that their Senior Day was a memorable one as they led the offensive charge in Sunday's 84-79 victory over No. 18-ranked Emory University.

The Maroons (9-12 overall, 4-6 UAA) won their third-straight game within the University Athletic Association (UAA). The Eagles (16-5 overall, 9-2 UAA) saw their eight-game win streak snapped.

Before the start of the game, UChicago recognized its senior class – guard Brandon Beckman, guard Ryan Martin and forward Zach Munson – on the Ratner Athletics Center court with their families.

In the early minutes of the contest, UChicago hit three of its first four shots from beyond the arc. After sophomore Leonardo Edo's layup, the hosts were ahead 13-6. Emory promptly went on a 9-0 run to flip the script, and the two teams traded baskets from there.

Beckman scored a trey and a layup to draw UChicago back to within 30-29. But the Eagles surged ahead again and went into halftime with a 39-32 advantage. Both teams were shooting well from long distance, combining to go 11-for-23 (48 percent) in the first half. Munson paced UChicago with 10 points while Beckman added eight.

The three-point arc was a deciding factor in the second half. The Maroons were red hot, splashing in 8 of 11 from distance over the final 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Eagles went stone cold, making 2 of 13 in the half.  

Munson canned a deep three four minutes in to pull UChicago closer at 43-40. He then hit two more treys back-to-back to bring his squad within two at 51-49.

It was then Beckman's turn to transform into the human torch. The senior guard reeled off 11 points in-a-row in a two-minute span with an array of impressive shots. His biggest highlight came at the 10:19 mark when he sank a three and absorbed a foul. He completed the rare four-point play to boost UChicago to a 60-55 lead. All told, Beckman scored 21 points in the second half.

He had a foil on the other side of the court, however. Emory's Matthew Schner answered Beckman almost point-for-point. The 6-foot-4 guard consistently went to the well with his fadeaway jumper that proved nearly unstoppable. Schner tallied 20 points in the second half and 31 for the game.

Emory was threatening with five minutes to go only down four. Beckman then produced the next eight points for the Maroons, including consecutive threes to make it 79-70.

The Eagles drew near at 82-79 in the final minute. But UChicago shut the door from there and secured the home victory.

Beckman concluded with a career-high 29 points, including a 5-for-8 shooting performance from beyond the arc. He also posted eight rebounds and three assists. Munson was even more efficient at long range, going 5-for-6 en route to 22 points, six rebounds and three assists. Junior Bryce Hopkins contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. Martin recorded seven points and four rebounds.

UChicago shot 45.5 percent from the field, a season-best 59.1 percent from three-point range (13-22) and 80.8 percent from the free throw line (21-26). Emory converted 46.2 percent of its field goals, 32.0 percent of its three-pointers (8-25) and 64.7 percent of its free throws (11-17).

UChicago held a narrow 36-35 edge on the boards and committed three more turnovers (10-7).  

NEXT GAME:

• Friday, Feb. 18 @ 5:30 PM (ET) – UChicago at Brandeis University