The team came together as a unit and played solidly on both ends of the court.
Using strong defensive play to trigger their offense, the Lions downed the Eagles 86-58 in what was their largest margin of
victory this season.,The Emerson Lions bonded during the hour-long road trip to Daniel Webster College in New Hampshire last Saturday, heading back to Boston with a victory over the Eagles.
The team came together as a unit and played solidly on both ends of the court.
Using strong defensive play to trigger their offense, the Lions downed the Eagles 86-58 in what was their largest margin of
victory this season. The fourth straight win moved the Lions to within one game of a .500 record and improved their GNAC league record to 7-3.
Alfredo Tovar, a junior TV/video major, said he was pleased with his team’s performance.
“We’ve stepped up our defense,” Tovar said. “We’re getting back to playing an up-tempo style of basketball.”
Implementing a faster type of play has proved effective for the guard as he scored 14 points and dished out six assists in the Lions win.
“I’ve been focusing a lot more on defense,” Tovar said. “I’m looking to get my teammates involved.”
Sophomore broadcast journalism major Will Dawkins believes he is contributing more to the team now than he was before.
“Overall, my points have gone down, but my assists and rebounds have gone up, so I believe I’ve become much more of a team player,” he said. “Whether I have to lead the team in points or assists, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Dawkins finished the game with nine points and five assists.
Tovar said an important part of playing as a team is having a healthy roster.
“Players who were injured are starting to heal,” he said of the team’s turnaround.
Getting past the injury bug was a bit of a hurdle for the team, but with the return of Steve Georgoulis, the Lions offensive and defensive play has seen positive results. Georgoulis had a game high 22 points and led the Emerson squad with six rebounds.
“We got our offense going back inside to [Georgoulis] and it’s opened up our offense both inside and outside,” Dawkins said of the starting center.
Despite the win, Dawkins said the team has to get better on the offensive and defensive boards to be successful.
“Every game we go out there, we’re going to be shorter than the other team, but that’s no excuse,” he said. “We just have to work harder. It’s hard to win a game when the other team’s getting three and four shots every possession.”