The year 2009 featured no shortage of memorable moments across sports, politics and pop culture. For the Emerson women’s basketball team, it had also marked the last time they triumphed over the Endicott College Gulls.

Until Monday night.

Four Lions finished in double figures as Emerson defeated Endicott, 78-71, at the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym—the same site of their last win against them over a decade prior.

Sophomore guard Jessie Silk led the Lions with 18 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a steal, while junior forward Kaylin O’Meara notched a career-high 16 points on 6/11 shooting from the field. Junior guard Kendra Dodd drained five three-pointers en route to a 15-point outing, and junior center Claire English tallied 12 points and eight rebounds.

“It was a great team win against a really good team,” head coach Bill Gould said postgame, citing Endicott’s appearance in last year’s NCAA Tournament. “It’s too early in the year to really say it, but that’s a statement win. It really is.”

O’Meara, a dual-sport athlete with the Emerson women’s soccer team, said the key to her performance was “just having fun,” particularly after a “tough” quarterfinal loss at Rotch Field.

“My focus for basketball is to definitely just play every day with gratitude and be here with my best friends, which I feel so lucky for,” she said.

The Lions started the game with an 11-2 lead in the first quarter before the Gulls stormed back with a 12-0 run, highlighted by a fastbreak layup that forced an Emerson timeout with 1:40 left. After both sides traded layups, the Gulls extended their lead with a three at the 52-second mark, increasing the deficit to six. Silk brought the Lions’ score closer, racing down the floor in the quarter’s final seconds, getting a layup to drop in as the buzzer rang out.

The Gulls maintained a narrow lead to begin the second quarter, though threes by Dodd and sophomore guard Lindsay Gould (no relation to coach Gould), kept the Lions within one point with under three minutes left. Emerson eventually tied the game with a layup by Silk at the 1:26 mark and took the lead on free throws by senior guard Sofia Canter moments later. O’Meara blocked the Gulls’ game-tying layup to end the quarter, and the Lions held a 35-33 advantage at the half.

Both sides traded triples at the start of the third quarter, with Dodd nailing one 30 seconds in and the Gulls responding on their next trip down the floor. The Lions kept a slim lead behind layups from O’Meara and English, but turned on the jets midway through the period. After an Endicott three tied the game at 45, the Lions scored 12 straight points—including threes by Dodd and sophomore forward Elise Arnold—to lead 57-45 with over two minutes remaining. The Gulls ended the Lions’ streak with a layup at the 2:08 mark, but Emerson preserved a 59-48 lead heading into the final frame.

A layup by English and a free throw from O’Meara gave the Lions their largest lead of the night of 14 points only a minute into the fourth quarter. The Gulls chipped away by working mostly inside the arc, eventually trailing 68-65 with 2:29 remaining. Silk’s three-point play gave the Lions a six-point lead, and O’Meara’s layup in the final minute put Emerson up 73-65 with 1:09 to play.

The Gulls refused to concede, converting layups to stay within striking distance while sending the Lions to the free-throw line. O’Meara, Lindsay Gould and Silk calmly nailed free throws in the final seconds, securing Emerson’s seven-point victory and second win of a young season.

Despite allowing 71 points, Bill Gould was encouraged by the Lions’ defensive effort and their ability to fight back amid Endicott’s adjustments.

“I said to [the players], ‘In years past, that would have been a loss for us,’” he said. “We would not have been able to handle that, and it would have been bad. Well, now it wasn’t.”

He also believes the newest Lions—Lindsay Gould and first-year forward Annie Ferguson—have adapted well amid an adjustment period. Coach Bill Gould said Lindsay Gould should not expect to match her season debut of 18 points every single game.

“And so she needs to just be able to handle that and settle in and realize, ‘Okay, now they’re doing this. I [have] to make my adjustment,’” he said.

As for Ferguson, Bill Gould said she is continuing to adapt to collegiate basketball.

“I think Annie’s thing is just getting used to the style of play, because she’s doing so well,” he continued. “She just needs to settle herself. Once she does, I’m telling you, watch out.”

As the Lions head into two tournaments at Wesleyan College from Nov. 15-16 and UMass-Dartmouth from Nov. 22-23, Bill Gould said consistency is a priority on both ends of the floor.

“We’re still out of sorts offensively—I mean, what the hell, we scored 78 points and I’m saying our offense isn’t great. That’s how good we can be,” he said.

O’Meara believes the key to success lies in the team’s tight-knit bond.

“It’s really awesome that all of us are super close friends,” she said. “We get to hang out and get closer, and that helps us on the court.”