JANUARY 23
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Emerson 3, Lesley 0
Player of the Game: Brendan McGonigle
Setter Brendan McGonigle supplied the Lions (1-0) with 28 assists as visiting Emerson dominated the Lynx (0-1), 25-9, 25-4, and 25-9. McGonigle also led the team with six service aces. Sophomore Jackson Wiley, freshman Devin McIntyre, and Beacon assistant sports editor Connor Burton all recorded seven kills, while Stanson Afoa chipped in five kills and one block.
JANUARY 25
MEN’S BASKETBALL
MIT 71, Emerson 66
Player of the Game: Michael Thorpe
The visiting Lions (10-7, 3-3 NEWMAC) never trailed by more than seven as sophomore Michael Thorpe poured in a game-high 24 points, scoring 14 in the second half, including a 3-pointer with five seconds left to draw within three, 69-66, before the Engineers (12-4, 4-2) sank a pair of late free throws. Forward Brian Hurley followed with 20 points and five rebounds, while senior captain Jon Goldberg played all 40 minutes, chipping in 14 points and nine rebounds. Hurley and Goldberg both grabbed three steals. Thorpe also finished first on the team with five assists and second to Goldberg with seven rebounds.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Emerson 48, Wellesley 45
Player of the Game: Kristin Brice
The Lions (7-10, 3-9 NEWMAC) grabbed one of their biggest wins of the season as they downed conference-leading Wellesley (12-4, 4-2). Kristin Brice scored 18 points and collected five rebounds, shooting 7 of 12 from the field and converting on all four free throw attempts. Emerson took the lead with a 9-0 run midway through the first half, including four points from Brice. Sophomore Janissa Delzo followed next with nine points and six rebounds, while Kelsey Johnson scored four points, had four blocks, and pulled in a team-high nine boards.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Emerson 3, Newbury 0
Player of the Game: Jackson Wiley
Sophomore Jackson Wiley starred, racking up 13 kills, six digs, and three service aces as the Lions (2-0) topped the visiting Nighthawks (0-1) in straight sets, 25-17, 25-19, and 25-17, in their home opener, which was the first game in a doubleheader. Freshman Stanson Afoa also had a versatile performance with six kills, seven digs, and three service aces. Sophomore setter Brendan McGonigle set up 26 kills and had five digs, while sophomore Jared Gross led the defense with 13 digs.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
MIT 3, Emerson 0
Player of the Game: Jackson Wiley
The Lions (2-1) suffered their first loss of the season, falling to the visiting Engineers, 25-17, 25-22, and 25-14, in the nightcap of a doubleheader at the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym. Sophomore outside hitter Jackson Wiley led Emerson with nine kills and also showed up on the defensive side with nine digs. Stanson Afoa had eight kills and five digs, while sophomore Ben Hillman notched seven kills. Setter Brendan McGonigle collected 25 assists in the loss, while Jared Gross recorded a team-high 10 digs.
JANUARY 29
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Springfield 68, Emerson 58
Player of the Game: Brian Hurley
Six-foot-7 sophomore Brian Hurley registered 10 points and 10 rebounds as the Lions (10-8, 3-4) fell at home. Sophomore Michael Thorpe scored 13 of his team-high 17 points in the first half as Emerson trailed, 32-30, at the intermission. Dan Boylan tallied nine points, all coming via 3-pointers, while Kyle Edwards chipped in seven points. Junior captain Eli Kell-Abrams hit two 3-pointers to go with five assists and three steals. Emerson led for most of the first half, but fell victim to an 8-0 Springfield (13-4, 4-2) run midway into the second half to fall out of contention.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Wheaton 77, Emerson 58
Player of the Game: Kristin Brice
After playing Wheaton close in the first half, Emerson was unable to cut into the four point deficit they faced coming out of the break, and fell to the visiting Lyons, 77-58. Kristin Brice led Emerson with 17, while Janissa Delzo provided a number-two option with 15 of her own. Emerson committed 16 turnovers to Wheaton’s nine, while also giving up 15 offensive rebounds to the NEWMAC foe.
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Wentworth 3, Emerson 0
Player of the Game: Jared Gross
In the Lions’ opening conference game, the Leopards got revenge from last year’s quarterfinal defeat, beating Emerson 3-0 at Wentworth. Jared Gross racked up 17 digs for Emerson in the loss, while the Lions struggled in serve and serve-receive, committing 10 service errors, five reception errors, and five service aces.
MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:
JACKSON WILEY, SOPHOMORE, OUTSIDE HITTER
The 6-foot-2 Los Angeles native led the Lions outright in kills in two of their first four matches, including a season-high 13 kills in a win over Newbury. Wiley tied for the kill lead in Emerson’s season-opener against Lesley. He has also been a strong contributor on defense and on serves.
FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:
KRISTIN BRICE, JUNIOR, FORWARD
Brice led Emerson in scoring in both games this week, piling up 18 in a surprise win over Wellesley last Saturday, including a part in the decisive offensive rally. The 6-foot versatile scorer also keyed the Lions with 17 points as they fell at home to Wheaton on Wednesday. Brice leads the team, averaging 14.4 points per game this season.
Assistant sports editor Mike Lucas did not write or edit men’s basketball recaps because he is a member of the team. Assistant sports editor Connor Burton did not edit men’s volleyball recaps because he is a member of the team, or women’s basketball because he is dating a member of the team.