Four Lions landed in double figures Thursday night as the Emerson men’s basketball team beat the MIT Engineers 87-73, snapping a four-game losing streak.
The Lions ran out to a 6-2 lead as senior guard Lucas Brenner found senior center Asher Gardiner for a layup at the 17:46 mark. The Engineers responded with two buckets of their own before graduate guard Trevor Arico drained a three with 17 minutes remaining. Junior center Linus Helmhold came off the bench and went to work, throwing down a two-handed dunk with 15:38 left as the Lions led 11-6. Two more MIT baskets—including a top-of-the-key three—tied the game once more at 11 with 13:22 remaining.
Emerson and MIT then traded scoring runs, with the Engineers leading 24-22 at the 6:21 mark. Back-to-back threes by Arico and Gasset-Ruiz put Emerson in front 28-24 with five minutes left, and the Lions kept their distance as the half went on. An Engineer three at the 30-second mark brought the deficit to five, and the Lions entered the locker room with a 37-32 lead at the break.
The Lions emerged with hot shooting from beyond the arc. Brenner and junior guard Jacob Armant found the bottom of the net on their three-point attempts, giving Emerson a 43-34 lead with 18:50 remaining. The Engineers kept the game close with layups and free throws. With ten minutes to play, Armant pulled off a spin move that sent his defender to the hardwood, bringing the bench to its feet as he nailed a jumper for a 60-49 lead. MIT continued to cut into the Lions’ lead, drilling a three at the 8:29 mark to make it a six-point game, 68-62.
Armant continued to score at the basket, converting a crafty layup for his 14th point with five minutes to play. Gasset-Ruiz dribbled behind his back and glided to the rim for a layup with 3:12 left as Emerson led by ten. Helmhold found Brenner for a bank-shot three moments later, putting the Lions up 77-64 with 2:16 remaining. The Engineers swished another three with less than two minutes to play, but the comeback would not be completed. The Lions earned more points from the free-throw line and got their first win of 2025 as the clock struck zero.
Armant led the Lions with 22 points on 7/14 shooting from the field, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Helmhold finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. Brenner buried four of eight three-point attempts en route to a 14-point outing, and Arico’s 12 points on 5/10 shooting rounded out Emerson’s double-digit scorers.
Armant said that confidence from his teammates and coaches was the key to his performance.
“We had been on a challenging stretch in conference, and [Thursday] was the day we really wanted to change that,” he said.
He added that the team’s mentality didn’t change over the last few games, saying, “We know that we’re a really dangerous team, and a team that’s capable of beating everybody on any given night, regardless of who’s on the other end.”
Helmhold, who has been the Lions’ sixth man this season, said his role has shifted since transferring from Div. II to Div. III, and that his leadership skills have increased as a junior.
“But the guys have been great with that, [they] have been making it really easy for me,” he said. “I’ve been really enjoying it.”
Head coach Bill Curley said that while the team didn’t play well over the course of their losing streak, he believed they had positive moments in that span.
“They stayed true to the game plan,” he said. “They played [unselfishly]. We had 12 assists at the half—that might be the most we’ve had all year, to tell you the truth.”
Curley noted that the team’s conference schedule has made for limited preparation in between games. Their NEWMAC stretch includes two to three games in a week, sometimes leaving only a day for rest and practice.
“You’re just trying to get shots [up], and get your body and mind free and clear so that you can play,” he added. “This is a tough stretch. It’s almost like being a pro where you’re playing every other day, except you [have] to go to class, too.”
Curley believes the team hasn’t reached its full potential yet, which he views as a positive. In order to get there, he says it’s all about “understanding how to play.”
“They’ve got to understand what we’re looking for,” he added. “It’s not just about them … the ball has died in everybody’s hands. That is the biggest thing, we got [the ball] moving [Thursday].”
Going forward, Armant says the message around the team is: “Keep your foot on the gas.”
“We know what we need to do to be successful, and we’re going to have fun while doing it,” he said.
Following a 72-53 loss to Wheaton on Jan. 18, the men’s basketball team continues NEWMAC action on the road against Springfield on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.
