The Emerson men’s basketball team dashed Coast Guard’s hopes of a road win with a 105-63 victory on Jan. 29, ending a skid that saw them lose eight of their last nine games.
The Lions got off to a sizzling start with an 11-6 lead after a layup by junior center Linus Helmhold with 15:20 remaining. Sophomore forward Caden Zurek found fellow sophomore forward Shay Roban for a corner three at the 14:03 mark, giving Emerson a 16-6 advantage. The Lions continued to click on all cylinders, leading by 19 after junior guard Jacob Armant swished a two-point jumper with 6:51 remaining. As the Bears took a timeout, Zurek could be heard referencing the Bears’ past comeback victories, saying, “We know what these guys are capable of. We can’t give up now.”
The last time these two teams met in December, Emerson was up 45-31 at halftime before Coast Guard came back for a 74-65 victory. This time around, the Lions were determined not to let lightning strike twice.
Emerson continued to run up the scoreboard in the opening period, leading 45-20 with 4:27 to go. They also got the job done defensively, exemplified by sophomore forward Guillermo Gasset-Ruiz swatting a layup in a two-on-one Coast Guard fast-break with 3:43 remaining. Sophomore forward Sam Ndu slid past two defenders for a reverse layup with just over a minute left. Zurek converted a layup over two defenders as time expired, and Emerson held a 60-26 lead at the half.
Both teams shot the lights out from deep to begin the second half, Emerson leading 68-36 with 17:15 remaining. Roban buried a three at the 11:15 mark off of a pass by first-year guard Hank Gramlich, giving the Lions a 77-43 lead. Gramlich hit a three of his own moments later for his first points of the game. Emerson eventually commanded a 40-point lead, 90-50, with 6:35 to go.
Sophomore forward Brendan Taylor snatched a Coast Guard layup attempt with 5:27 left, but the highlight was countered by a Zurek foul on the same possession. The Bears then drilled a pair of free throws to cut the lead to 39. A three from first-year guard Roman Leraris got the Lions over the century mark with 2:31 remaining, and in the final moments, a layup by junior forward Jeff Tan brought the Lions to a record-breaking 105 points—their highest mark since 2020 and most under Curley’s tenure.
Emerson had five players score in double figures Thursday night. Helmhold led the way with 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists and a block. Arico’s 7/10 shooting night gave him 16 points along with four rebounds and three assists. Armant drilled three three-pointers en route to 13 points, and Zurek and Roban tallied season-highs with 12 points apiece. The Lions shot 20/56 (35.7%) from the field, 3/15 (20%) from three, and 20/23 (87%) from the free-throw line.
Head coach Bill Curley said he was proud of the team’s effort and sacrifice throughout the season but touched on the team’s struggles since returning from winter break.
“Since we’ve come back from the break, we have not been the same team,” he said. “Can we beat [all] teams by 40? No, but with that effort, that energy, and that attention to detail, we can beat everybody.”
“They just had to see the joy and the fun,” Curley added. “They weren’t just [designated hitters] tonight. … They were all moving with a purpose tonight, and the guys were making the extra pass. [We had] almost 30 assists—I don’t know if we’ve ever done that.”
Unlike the team’s recent losses, Arico said Thursday’s strong start was a difference-maker in the victory.
“We made shots, which always helps, but we got shots, we got good looks early, and we really stayed together as a team,” he said. “Big wins like that and high scoring doesn’t come right away. You have to really come in with the mindset off the jump, which, at times, we’ve struggled with. But, we came out strong and we really played together.”
Curley emphasized that the team’s effort and attention to detail must continue going forward, adding: “They did it once, they can do it again.”
As the team endured a losing skid through December and January, Curley said he reminded his team to focus on the details.
“The way we’ve been playing lately, these guys have been beating themselves,” Curley said. “When you turn the ball over 20 times a game and [are] fouling and not getting to the foul line, you have no chance to win. We’ve been beating ourselves, and we’re trying to cut down the nonsense.”
“Lucky for us, we all like each other,” Brenner said. “It looked like there was no light at the end of the tunnel, but today was just a culmination of us not cracking under pressure.”
Going forward, Curley says the team’s mentality is “refuse to lose,” borrowing a phrase from famed collegiate men’s basketball coach John Calipari.
“These guys [have] to be ready to [take it] one game at a time,” he added. “We’ve already proven we can do it. It’s not something insurmountable. … It’s just a matter of stop worrying about the nonsense, go out, and have fun.”
The Lions will travel to Worcester, Mass., to face the WPI Engineers on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., hoping to get their first win against WPI since Feb. 1, 2023.
“[The Engineers] are a very good team, disciplined, tough defensively,” Arico said. “But, if we’re able to handle pressure like we did today, and put ourselves in positions to score, we’ll give ourselves a chance and be in good shape.”
