After over a month of non-conference opponents, the men’s basketball team took the floor in a conference matchup against the Babson College Beavers—a rematch of the 2023 NEWMAC Semifinals. The Lions came into Wednesday 6-32 all-time against the Beavers, though their last meeting in January ended with a 79-75 win. They hoped to replicate that success against the defending back-to-back conference champions.

The Beavers began the game with a jumper at the 19:06 mark, before graduate guard Trevor Arico responded with a two-pointer of his own moments later. Emerson took the lead off of a putback layup by senior center Asher Gardiner with less than 18 minutes remaining. The Lions led by as many as 10 after a pair of free throws by sophomore forward Caden Zurek with 7:05 remaining. They managed to keep Babson in check with aggressive half-court defense, though the Beavers slowly began chipping away at the Lions’ lead.

After the Beavers cut the lead to 26-23, Armant found sophomore forward Guillermo Gasset-Ruiz cutting toward the basket, and he flipped in a layup with 47 seconds to go. As the Lions led, 30-25, free throws kept Babson in the game. They nailed four in the half’s final moments to bring Emerson’s lead to just one at the break.

The Beavers regained the lead out of halftime, drilling a three-pointer 15 seconds into the period. A layup at the 18:44 mark gave them a 34-30 advantage. Arico worked to even the score with a layup and free throws, giving him 14 points and the Lions a tied ball game with 17:50 remaining. After an Armant three put Emerson up 37-34, the Beavers took control and led 51-45 with 9:05 left.

Emerson battled back over the next few minutes, as another Armant three brought them within two, 56-54, with 6:21 left. They then went on a 7-0 run for a 61-56 lead with 3:30 to play. The Beavers stayed in the game through free throws but swished a critical three with 10.8 seconds to play—making it a 63-62 ball game. Armant made one of two free throws with 9.6 seconds left, leaving the door ajar for a Beaver comeback.

Babson used their final timeout with four seconds left. Emerson quickly denied any three-point attempts as the Beavers scrambled for a miracle. They threw a pass inside that was stolen by Gasset-Ruiz, clinching a tight 64-62 victory and keeping their winning streak alive.

Arico led the Lions with 19 points on 7/13 shooting from the field, while Armant chipped in 14 points and five assists, and Gasset-Ruiz tallied 13 points.

Despite his performance, Arico gave credit to his teammates for the win.

“Anytime we have three, four, five, six double-figures [scorers] contributing, we’re really hard to guard,” Arico said. “Somebody new every game, someone new every play. People just stepped up—even the guys that didn’t score as much. Our rebounding against a very good rebounding Babson team was very critical, and that’s a testament to how hard we worked in practice all week, how hard the scout guys worked all week, and just [an] awesome team win.”

He added that head coach Bill Curley and associate head coach Sean Coman have told the team to have a chip on their shoulder as conference play continues.

“I think we expect more of ourselves than anybody else does, we wouldn’t have it any other way,” he added. “We’re just coming in trying to prove people wrong.”

Curley said the key to victory began in preparation, crediting the scout team for simulating Babson’s physical play in practices.

“Our guys kept playing through it, and they weren’t getting some [shots] to fall, but they didn’t lose their mind,” he added. “Just a super team win.”

Curley also acknowledged some disagreements he and the team had with officials throughout the night, but reminded his group to stay together.

“We just said let me be the donkey out there and make a fool out of myself with the officials,” he joked. “I know they got a tough job, and they can only do the best they can. … I don’t know if we’ve really had a team that would fight back like that, … and I thought our guys just did a tremendous job.”

Curley also touched on how the non-conference schedule has prepared the team for NEWMAC battles.

“The more hardened you are, the more you’re just going to get used to it,” he said. “You want to practice how you play…They get our guys in impossible situations, and we haven’t folded. These guys just don’t quit, and I love that about them.”

Up next, the Lions will travel to New London, Conn. to face the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 1 p.m.