ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Christopher Avant and Adam Gigax hit crucial three-pointers down the stretch as Emory University held off a charge by the University of Rochester to post a 71-61 victory at the Louis Alexander Palestra on Saturday afternoon.

It was the regular-season finale for each team. Emory finished this part of the campaign with a 21-4 record, 12-2 in the University Athletic Association. The Eagles are ranked No. 7 in the D3hoops.com media poll and are #1 in the South Region as dictated by the NCAA Division III Regional Advisory Committee. Emory is hoping for a Pool C (at-large) invitation to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The tournament field will be announced Monday at 12:30 p.m. on www.ncaa.com. Rochester finishes its season at 16-9, 7-7 in the UAA.

Matt Davett led Emory on the scoreboard with 16 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench. He hit 6-9 from the floor, 2-5 outside the arc. Whitt Rapp and Avant scored 12 points apiece for the visitors. Gigax had seven points and seven rebounds.

Ryan Clamage scored a game-high 23 points for Rochester and grabbed 10 rebounds. He was the only Yellowjacket to reach double figures. Jacob Urban had eight points, Ryan Algier and Jacob Wittig scored seven each. Tucker Knox, honored before the game as Rochester's lone senior, grabbed nine rebounds and scored four points.

Emory sizzled in the first half, building a seven-point lead on a three-pointer by Davettt when the game was seven minutes old (15-8 with 12:52 left in the first half). It grew to 13 points (34-21) with 1:50 left. Wittig's second trey of the game cut the margin to 10 (34-24) with 90 seconds left. Davett scored on a fast break and Avant hit a follow for a 38-24 lead at intermission.

Down 12, 44-32, four minutes into the second half, Rochester made its first serious charge. The Yellowjackets used a 14-3 burst over three and a half minutes to pull within 47-46 with 12 minutes left. Clamage had a layup and a conventional three-point play. Urban tipped in a miss, then made a layup, and Algier converted a three-point play, banking one in off the right post and making the free throw.

The Eagles would build slowly and Rochester hung in. A three-pointer at the top of the key from Davett gave Emory a 59-53 lead with 6:49 left. Clamage scored six straight – a driving layup, two free throws, and a putback. It tied the score at 59-59 with 4:00 remaining. Avant swished a trey from the top of the key almost immediately and EU had a lead it would not relinquish. Gigax's trey put Emory ahead, 65-61, under two minutes. EU made six of eight from the line in the final minute.