After a narrow win over Worcester State, the Emerson men’s basketball team hoped to make it two in a row as they faced their Boston Common rivals, the Suffolk University Rams.

The Rams got on the board first with a layup 30 seconds into the game, but the Lions responded with a layup from senior forward Asher Gardiner shortly after. Emerson found momentum early, taking a 10-5 lead off a steal and layup by senior guard Lucas Brenner with 16:36 remaining. Graduate guard Trevor Arico converted a layup at the 13:08 mark for a 16-9 Emerson advantage, which forced Suffolk to call a timeout. As the Lions led by as many as 10 points, the Rams began finding the bottom of the net. They buried a three-pointer from the top of the key to make it a 21-20 ball game with 9:10 remaining.

The Lions built up another lead, going up 29-22 with a layup from junior center Linus Helmhold at the 5:13 mark. Still, the Rams remained persistent. They outscored the Lions 8-3 in the final five minutes, and Emerson held onto a 32-30 lead at the break.

Suffolk tied the game with a layup at 19:35, but the second half was all Emerson. Armant found Brenner for a three-pointer with 19 minutes remaining, and from there, the Lions never looked back. A three by sophomore guard Ray Allen III put Emerson up by 10 with 14:45 left, and a pair of Arico free-throws gave them a 48-37 lead with 11:21 to play. The Rams soon got hot from the perimeter, draining a trio of three-pointers in the following two minutes to get within six, 52-46, with nine minutes to go.

But even with a Rams rally, the Lions pulled away. Buckets by first-year forward Giulio Volonte and Gardiner gave Emerson another double-digit lead with 7:40 remaining. Armant—fresh off of a 24-point performance on Saturday—nailed a fadeaway jumper for his 20th point with 3:47 to go. And a Violonte three-pointer gave the Lions a 16-point lead—their largest of the game—with less than three minutes to play. Emerson free-throws and Suffolk concession baskets dominated the rest of the contest, as the Lions ultimately cruised to a 77-63 victory.

Armant led Emerson with 22 points on 7/10 shooting from the field, along with three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Gardiner tallied 12 points (6/8 shooting), four rebounds, one assist and one block. Arico rounded out the Lions’ top three scorers with 10 points on three made field goals. As a team, the Lions shot 26/49 (53%) from the field and 6/12 (50%) from three, while holding the Rams to 20/51 (39.2%) shooting from the field, including 4/20 (20%) from deep.

Head coach Bill Curley was impressed with the team’s performance in their fourth win of the season.

“The guys did an incredible job,” he said, before mentioning the impact of the scout team: sophomore guard Blake Bailey, sophomore forward Brendan Taylor, first-year guard Yoav Rabbi, first-year forward Kieran Durkin and junior forward Jeff Tan.

“[They] did an unbelievable job running [Suffolk’s] stuff in practice the last couple [of] days, and it allowed our guys to execute defensively,” he added. “They did a really good job understanding what was coming and staying disciplined. We had a few hiccups where we didn’t stay with our [guys], but we were able to overcome it because we did it more [often] than not.”

Curley also touched on the impact of Volonte, who played nine minutes in the second half, finishing with six points and four rebounds.

“Giulio has got a huge upside,” he said. “He’s fiery, he’s long, he’s got good size and he moves well. That’s just getting these younger guys caught up with our [returning] guys. Any given night, somebody might not be working, so we got to go to the next guy.”

Volonte said “staying ready” was the key to his performance.

“When I heard my name called, I was ready to go,” he added. “[I] focused on stopping their best players, and we got the win.”

Volonte grew up in Milan, Italy, and played for the U18 team of EA7 Emporio Armani Milan. He noted their defensive toughness allowed him to adjust to playing collegiate basketball in the States.

“That’s the first thing that is taught back in Europe,” he said. “I feel the difference here. It’s way more intense, but [I’m] just adapting to it, using the teachings that I got from two very different worlds of basketball. It’s very valuable.”

Curley emphasized how hard the team has worked since their first meeting at the end of August.

“All 20 of these guys have really bought in and made a great effort to make this team a good one,” he said. “They make each other better, and they’re pushing each other, but they’re working so hard since then. … We’re going to have some growing pains still, but they’re a great group because they don’t get too [high], they don’t get too low, they just want to come and compete every day.”

Emerson has gotten the best of Suffolk over the years, having come into Tuesday’s game with a record of 32-10 against the Rams. Curley believes the matchups are all in good fun, citing various ties between both schools.

“Their coach was a manager at BC [Boston College] when we first started here,” he explained. “Coach [Jack] Barrett came from Suffolk, Coach [Colin] Halpin, when he was here with us, played at Suffolk. … It’s always fun to find a little niche, but they’re always very disciplined and run good stuff.”

Suffolk assistant coach Steven Fabrizio ‘23, who donned the purple and gold for four years, is the latest addition to those ties.

“We’re happy that he’s doing well and he’s found a place,” Curley said. “You just don’t want to lose to your former players. You want to have bragging rights. … We’d be happy for him if he won, but we’re happy that he’s got a good team, and he’s doing a great job there.”

Associate head coach Sean Coman ‘23 compared the face-off to a Monday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens, which featured brothers Jim and John Harbaugh as the teams’ respective head coaches. In a sideline interview with ESPN, Jim Harbaugh said, “I’d lay down my life for my brother, but I would not let him win a football game.”

“I kind of felt the same way about Steven, I didn’t want him to win this game,” Coman said.

Coman added the opportunities he and his former teammates have received are a “really good representation of the alumni before us.” He mentioned a plethora of former Emerson players who have made an impact in the NBA, particularly Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti ‘00, Washington Wizards GM Will Dawkins ‘08, Thunder Vice President Rob Hennigan ‘04, Portland Trail Blazers Head Video Coordinator Eli Kell-Abrams ‘15, and Sioux Falls Skyforce head coach Dan Bisaccio ‘12.

“[They] and countless others have really just built a foundation and pipeline and have helped enable us to have an opportunity in this competitive industry,” he said. “With the foundation that Emerson gave us, we’re going to become, hopefully, strong alumni that a lot of people get to know.”

The men’s basketball team begins NEWMAC play against Babson on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. in the Bobbi Brown & Steven Plofker Gym. Ahead of conference action, Coman believes the team needs to improve on their execution and focus on playing together.

“Night in, night out, anybody can beat anybody,” he said. “If we can just find ways to win and be tough, we’ll be alright.”