Remias, starting in place of Shannon, scored ten points to help lead the Lions (6-0, 1-0 Great Northeast Athletic Conference) to an easy 88-57 victory over the visiting Mustangs.,ay’s contest against Mount Ida College short-handed, after both sophomore guard Jeremy Shannon and freshman guard Tom Messinger were sidelined with injuries. Luckily for the Lions, though, junior guard Anthony Remias made sure the team didn’t miss a beat.

Remias, starting in place of Shannon, scored ten points to help lead the Lions (6-0, 1-0 Great Northeast Athletic Conference) to an easy 88-57 victory over the visiting Mustangs. Bryan Rouse and Will Dawkins paced the Emerson offense, with 23 points and 20 points, respectively.

After the game, though, the praise was for Remias, the 5’8″ junior guard.

“[Remias ]’s been playing fantastic,” said senior guard Ben Chase. “He pressures the ball hard, makes open shots and plays within himself. This is the best ball he’s ever played.”

Remias said the way his team practices allows for players to be ready to contribute when needed.

“We’re very intense in the way we prepare for games,” Remias said. “Coach [Smith] has faith in all of us players. Anyone can step up on any given night.”

Early in the game, the Lions jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back. After Mount Ida started the game with a three-pointer, Emerson responded with an 18-2 run highlighted by the strong post play of Rouse.

Late in the first half, however, Emerson ran into foul trouble. Both Dawkins and guard Joe Boylan were forced to sit with three fouls, while Rouse and Chase picked up two apiece.

Despite the calls against the Lions, the team was able to maintain a 46-24 edge at halftime with contributions from bench players, including senior Samuel Newman-Beck and freshman Jon Showers. Coach Hank Smith was pleased with the toughness displayed by his players in keeping the lead safe.

“To have some great players on the bench a lot and for other kids to come in, it can be a little rough,” Smith said. “But overall, they held their composure.”

The Lions came out slowly to start the second half as Mount Ida made a run. Remias quickly got the Lions going again, however, with a breakaway lay-up followed by an assist on a Boylan bucket that gave Emerson a 63-40 advantage.

The Lions were plagued with fouls yet again with just over 12 minutes to play, as Dawkins and Boylan each received a fourth foul. The bench responded strong, though, and held off the Mustangs until both players were able to return.

With just minutes to play in the contest, Dawkins found Chase for a fast-break lay-in, stretching the lead to a commanding 73-44. With the advantage swelling to such a large number, Smith was able to empty his bench, eventually allowing 10 players to score in the game for Emerson.

Despite being shorthanded, Smith said his players are familiar enough with each other that shuffling his lineup around effects very little.

“Enough of these kids have played together for so long, it makes it easy [to make changes],” Smith said. “They’ve all played lots of minutes with all the same guys.”

Smith said he is unsure how long Shannon and Messinger will be sidelined with their respective injuries, but there is time to recuperate and regroup. The Lions only have one game left this semester, followed by a month-long break until the next game on Jan. 8, which should allow time for recovery for the two players.

Until then, though, Remias said he and the rest of his team would be ready to pick up the slack.

“We’re still working to get better, but even so, we still won by 30 points,” Remias said. “We all have a positive attitude. If we keep our intensity up, we can accomplish anything.”