Emerson’s men’s basketball team defeated Springfield College on Wednesday night with a season-high score of 98-77, increasing their record to 5-2 in conference games and 12-4 overall.
The team entered the game coming off a 79-72 win over Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday. Prior to the match-up against Springfield, senior center Jarred Houston, who registered 21 rebounds against MIT, was awarded his fourth Defensive Player of The Week by the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference.
The Lions built an eleven-point lead early in the first half on Wednesday; a two-pointer from senior guard Zach Waterhouse and a three from senior guard Nate Martin bumping the score to 19-10. A foul allowed Springfield to briefly catch up, but two three-pointers sank by junior shooting guard Max Davis lengthening the gap to 30-19. Emerson continued their scoring by going on a 10-point streak finished by a layup from Houston which brought the score to 40-19. The Lions entered the locker room at halftime leading 49-39.
Houston led the Lions into the second half with three layups. A three-pointer from Waterhouse brought the game to 59-53. Davis sank two more three-pointers, bringing the score to 68-56 with 11:30 left in the game. The Pride snuck back into the 10-point range, but the Lions banked another 20 points in the final stretch of the second half.
Junior guard James Beckwith made two free throws following a foul, extending the Lions’ lead to 20 points. Martin also took a trip to the line to score the final Emerson points of the game, with 43 seconds left in regulation. Following a layup from Springfield, the game would close at 98-77, a season-high points tally for the Lions.
Five Emerson athletes recorded double-digits in the game. Houston led the team in scoring and rebounds, going 28-21, respectively. He also tallied 4 assists and 6 blocks.
“He’s one of those guys you can trust with the balls in his hands,” Davis said to The Beacon. “He’s gonna make the right play.”
Martin also praised teammate Houston, adding that he was not surprised by his high performance.
“It was just another day for Jarred,” he said. “He’s the most dominant player in the league, easily.”
Another spectacular performance came from Davis, who, despite starting on the bench, tallied 23 points and 4 assists in 27 minutes played.
“Max is an electric player,” Martin said. “He can do a lot of things on the floor. He’s really good for us.”
Houston also had plenty of praise for Davis.
“He’s a phenomenal three-point shooter,” he said. “He sees the floor really well, and he’s just a special talent.”
Wednesday night’s game was Emerson’s fourth consecutive NEWMAC win. Houston attributed the winning streak to a stacked roster.
“We have so many guys that are really, really good basketball players—guys that start, guys that come off the bench, and even guys that don’t necessarily play a lot of minutes,” he said. “We’re pushing each other every day.”
Davis said that preparation was a vital plan to the team’s success; maintaining their competitiveness in practice helped make sure that, when game time came, “everyone was on the right page.”
The men’s basketball team is set to take on Babson College this Saturday, Jan. 29th at home and Worcester Polytechnic Institute on February 2. Emerson lost to Babson last season and WPI this season. Martin says that the team is looking to tie the record up.
“[Head Coach Bill] Curley really doesn’t have to do a thing.” He joked. “We’re really excited for these next two games. It’s the biggest stretch of the season, we just feel really confident and excited to play.”
