It was a tale of two contests for the Emerson College men’s basketball team this past weekend. The Lions defeated the Western Connecticut State University Wolves on Friday, 71-67, before falling to the Connecticut College Camels on Sunday, 82-72.
Nov. 14 vs. WCSU
The Wolves pounced on the Lions from the jump, stealing a pair of entry passes to the post on Emerson’s first couple of possessions. While the visitors scored their first four points off layups, the Lions went to work from deep, swishing five threes en route to a 1510 advantage.
After the Wolves converted a three-point play at the 10:28 mark, junior forward Caden Zurek scored an and-one. This fired up not only him, but also the Lions’ bench, and the Emerson student section, with only 10 minutes to play. Though Zurek missed the free throw, the Lions still held a four-point lead midway through the period.
Emerson held its lead behind efficient efforts across the floor. Sophomore guard Ray Allen III buried a three at the 7:20 mark, hitting the Michael Jordan “shrug” celebration. After senior center Linus Helmhold missed a layup, junior transfer forward LJ Glover Jr. brought the house down with a putback reverse slam dunk, scoring his first points as a Lion and giving the team a five-point lead.
The Wolves continued to trim the deficit from the paint and perimeter, at one point drilling a three to make it a 30-27 ball game with 1:21 to go. However, they simply had no answer for junior forward Shay Roban, who drilled back-to-back corner threes and swished a floater at the buzzer, capping off a personal 8-0 run and bringing the Lions up 11 at halftime.
WCSU began cutting into the Lions’ lead in the second half. After senior guard Jacob Armant’s free throws put Emerson up 40-29, the Wolves scored nine unanswered to make it a two-point game with 17:43 remaining. A two-hand slam by Zurek stopped the bleeding for Emerson, but WCSU quickly responded with a three-point play on the other end, trailing 44-40 with 15 minutes to play.
The Lions maintained their distance with a barrage of buckets, including a three-pointer by junior forward Brendan Taylor that put them up 53-45 with 11:30 left. After a missed jumper by WCSU, Allen and Glover nearly turned the Lions into “lob city,” but Glover’s dunk attempt rattled in and out, keeping a lid on a gym that was ready to erupt. A series of free throws and layups from each side followed, with the Lions hanging onto a four-point lead. With the Wolves gaining momentum, junior guard Guillermo Gasset Ruiz canned a three with 1:20 to go. Despite missing the free-throw that followed, Emerson held a 69-62 advantage.
WCSU wasn’t out of the fight just yet, earning a tip-in layup at the 1:02 mark. After Armant missed a pair of free throws, the Wolves swished a deep three with 28 seconds remaining, bringing them within two. Despite Helmhold being fouled with 18 seconds left, he calmly knocked down two free throws, cementing the Lions’ first victory of the season.
Armant, who led the Lions with 16 points and four assists, said he appreciated the team’s effort, particularly after a season-opening loss to Salem State University.
“The team really came together after a tough loss the other day, so that felt really good to see,” he said.
Armant acknowledged that the Lions needed to adjust to the Wolves’ high-pressure defense, but thrived once they did.
“Once we understood where the pressure was coming from, I personally felt comfortable,” said Armant. “I think if we see that press again, we’re going to tear it up.”
Head coach Bill Curley called the group’s energy “incredible” and the bench “exciting,” citing the positive boost from players who didn’t take the floor. He believed that attitude was the difference maker between Tuesday’s loss and Friday’s win.
“They had a pulse and a heartbeat,” he added.
Curley also had high praise for Taylor, who finished with nine points, three rebounds, three steals, and an assist.
“We think he could be one of the best offensive players in the league, if not the country,” he said. “He kind of got thrown into the fire, especially against a team like that. He wasn’t shying away, and he was getting involved.”
As for Glover, who tallied four points, three rebounds, and two blocks in his Emerson debut, Curley dubbed him “a human eraser” and called his defense and rebounding a “game changer.”
“Some of the rebounds he got at crucial points, where we normally wouldn’t get [the ball],” he added. “[The blocks] were pretty spectacular. It might only go down as one in the books, but it’s like, holy crap. The other team is like, ‘I can’t get in there.’”
Despite early hiccups, Curley believes the team handled the Wolves’ pressure well and eventually played some entertaining basketball.
“I thought we got sloppy. I think I caught too many passes,” Curley said. “They got to where they were supposed to [be], they were unselfish, and it was pretty fun to watch as a coach.”
A key lesson Armant took from Friday was to control the little things, especially “taking care of the ball and crashing the glass.”
“Just doing the little things is really important, because the scoring and offense is going to take care of itself with the talent we have,” Armant said.
Nov. 16 vs. Connecticut College
The Lions were unable to find the same success against the Connecticut College Camels, coming up short in a Sunday afternoon clash.
Emerson built up an early lead behind buckets from Armant, Helmhold, and senior guard Brendan McNamara, going up 16-7 with 13 minutes remaining. A flurry of threes soon got the Camels back into the game, as they buried one at the 11:30 mark to take an 18-16 lead. After Zurek converted a layup, the Camels responded with a jumper and three-pointer to earn a 23-18 advantage with less than 10 minutes to go.
The Lions went on a 7-0 run after a brief timeout. Both sides then jostled for the upper hand over the next few minutes, tying or taking the lead on nearly every possession. After Armant’s two-pointer gave the Lions a 32-31 lead, the Camels outscored the Lions 13-2 to end the period, with Emerson trailing 42-34 at halftime.
The Camels’ burst carried them into the second half, as they led by as many as 22 points with 5:31 remaining. The Lions made a final push in the last few minutes, scoring off layups and free throws to get within nine, 78-69, with 1:35 left. Connecticut College ultimately put the game away at the free-throw line, earning the 10-point victory in their season opener against the Lions.
Helmhold finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, and an assist, while Armant had 18 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Sophomore forward Giulio Volonte rounded out the Lions’ top three scorers with eight points and three rebounds.
Up next, the Lions face the nationally-ranked Tufts University Jumbos on Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Since Tufts is hosting the women’s volleyball NCAA Regionals, the game will be played at Suffolk University’s gym.
