Senior Calvin Kapral goes for a dunk against Emory. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

After sweeping No. 5 Emory University and the University of Rochester at home the weekend prior, the WashU men’s basketball team struggled on the road, where they suffered consecutive late-game losses in a gut-wrenching weekend away from home.

WashU vs. Emory

The WashU men’s basketball team fell at Emory on Friday, Feb. 6 in a thrilling comeback effort, coming up short in overtime, 81-72. The loss comes in a highly anticipated rematch, just a week after WashU took down the Eagles at home, stripping them of their No. 1 ranking.

As soon as the game began, WashU found themselves playing catch-up. After scoring four points in the first minute, the Bears went scoreless for six minutes, as Emory jumped out to an early 14-point lead. 

After sophomore forward Anthony Pryzbilla knocked down a couple of free throws around the 12-minute mark to end Emory’s 14-0 run, the Bears regained their composure and gradually chipped away at the lead.

Emory resisted, with a quick run of their own, only for first-year guard Joshua Kim and senior center Calvin Kapral to respond with consecutive jumpers to bring the game within seven. This thrilling back-and-forth play would continue through the remainder of the first half, where the Bears brought it as close as four. Emory ended the half on an and-one jumper to extend their lead back to seven.

Going into the second half, both offenses were operating on a high level, but it was clear that whichever side could rally their defensive efforts first would come away on top. This seemed to be the goal for both Emory and WashU, as they held each other scoreless in the first few minutes of the half. 

The first points after halftime would come from an unlikely source — Kapral, on his first three-pointer of the season. He would follow this bucket with a crafty lay-in, bringing the game within just two points.

From that point, WashU clearly had the momentum. Each Emory bucket and defensive stop was met with a swift response. With five minutes remaining, the Bears would go on a 7-0 run, capped off by a pull-up three from sophomore forward Connor May, and an ensuing Eagles timeout.

At this point, with a seven-point lead and just over three minutes to go, WashU took its foot off the gas pedal. Sloppy ball handling and weak closeouts on three-pointers allowed Emory to bring the game back within one point. 

With the Bears clinging to a one-point lead, a foul from junior guard Ryan Cohen sent Emory to the line with seven seconds to go in the game. They hit the first, but, luckily for WashU, bricked the second. Cohen missed a wild three at the buzzer, sending WashU to their first overtime bout of the season.

Unfortunately for WashU, Emory’s momentum carried into overtime. They hit a big three at the beginning of the period, and only let up one field goal in extra time, enroute to a decisive victory over the Bears. 

WashU’s defensive acumen was palpable throughout the game, but could not make up for their inefficiency on the offensive end. With the loss to Emory, the Bears fell to 13-6.

Rochester

On Sunday, Feb. 8, the Bears fell to the University of Rochester with a brutal second-half collapse. This was their second heartbreaker of the weekend, after Friday’s overtime loss to No. 5 Emory.

At first, both teams appeared stagnant. Approaching five minutes played in regulation, WashU and Rochester had four combined field goals. After a media timeout, however, the Bears got red hot, forming a pronounced margin. The Yellowjackets would make some headway on the deficit later in the first half, cutting it to single digits at one point, but a jumper from freshman guard Theo Rocca and a couple of crafty steals from Oliff propelled the Bears to an 11-point lead at halftime.

However, unlike before, each WashU bucket was met with a response from the Yellowjackets. Soon, Rochester would begin to string together stops, quickly eroding WashU’s formerly commanding lead. A couple of steals and fastbreak layups cut the lead to just six, forcing a Bears timeout.

From that point, the game became an intense tug-of-war match, with momentum shifting each possession. Kim was outstanding in this stretch, as he kept the Bears’ head above water with two layups and a pair of free throws. Cohen and Pryzbilla also put points on the board in an effort to regain control of the game.

The Bears’ efforts proved to not be enough, as the momentum pendulum swung Rochester’s way, and they tied the game at 59 with just over nine minutes remaining in the game. Rochester refused to give in, and responded with a 5-0 run. During this stretch, the Bears turned the ball over three times and missed a pair of free throws. Coming down to the wire, the Bears retained a tenuous one point lead.

With under a minute to go, the Yellowjackets stole the ball in the frontcourt. A fastbreak layup attempt was met with a herculean block from Kapral, but was rebounded by the Rochester offense, who kicked the ball out for a back-breaking three, giving Rochester its first lead of the game. 

The ensuing possession saw the Bears move the ball fluidly, setting up a good corner look for Cohen, which missed front-rim. After a few Yellowjacket free throws and another empty WashU possession, the final buzzer sounded with Rochester up, 76-72. 

This loss ended Rochester’s eight-game losing streak to WashU. The Bears are now 13-7, and will look to get back in the winning column in a huge matchup against conference rival Carnegie Mellon University on Friday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m.