The Emerson College women’s basketball team ended the fall semester with a 68-57 win over the Salem State University Vikings on Dec. 10. The Lions, now winners of three straight games, were led by a season-high 33 points from senior guard Bri Frongillo.
The Lions opened with sharp accuracy from the perimeter, nailing four three-pointers en route to a 14-4 start with 7:48 remaining—three coming from Frongillo, and another by junior guard Kendra Dodd. The Vikings responded with a pair of two-point jumpers to trim the Lions’ lead, though Emerson kept the upper hand behind buckets from Frongillo and junior forward Kaylin O’Meara. By the end of the quarter, the Lions led 23-13.
Emerson led by as many as 11 after Dodd’s three at the 6:56 mark of the second quarter, but the Vikings soon rallied behind layups and free throws. A flurry of Emerson fouls combined with solid shooting from the Vikings brought the deficit to six with 3:45 remaining. After a brief scoring drought from both sides, the Vikings converted a layup with 1:15 left to get within four.
After a layup by junior forward Sydney Lyons and a missed Vikings three on the other end, sophomore guard Jessie Silk splashed a three from half-court as time expired. The Lions entered the break with momentum in their favor up 37-28.
The Lions’ lead came on 7/17 shooting from three-point range, which drew a mixed reaction from head coach Bill Gould.
“The first four minutes of the game, I liked a lot because we moved the ball around [and] we went in [and] out [of the paint],” he said at halftime. “For the last 15 minutes of the half, I thought [the shot selection] was terrible. We made shots because we were good, not because they were good shots. We can’t survive on that.”
Emerson built off its lead immediately in the second half, as a layup by junior center Claire English and another Frongillo three gave the Lions a 14-point lead with 9:11 remaining. The Lions maintained a double-digit lead until the 5:20 mark of the third quarter, when the Vikings drilled a three to make it a 48-39 ball game. That play ultimately sparked a 17-1 Viking run to end the period, with Salem State regaining a 51-49 lead off free throws at the 45-second mark.
After the Vikings made one of two free throws in the fourth quarter, English found Dodd for a corner game-tying three, knotting the game at 52 with 7:28 to go. Frongillo and the Vikings traded threes in the next few possessions, with Frongillo canning a wide-open three for a 58-55 lead with 5:17 left. After another dry spell, Frongillo’s two-pointer put the Lions up five with 3:38 to go. The Vikings got within three behind a putback layup with 2:09 left, but buckets by Frongillo and English put the game away for Emerson, with the former’s four free throws icing the Lions’ win.
Frongillo’s 33 points came alongside four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, while Dodd’s 12 points came on 4/8 shooting from three. English finished with a double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds, along with four blocks and three assists.
“We got the win during finals, and that’s always a tough thing,” Coach Gould said postgame. He continued, referring to the Lions’ lead slipping in the fourth quarter, leading to several late timeouts.“I’m not mad at the team, but it wasn’t a good performance, and I think they know that.”
Though Gould believes Frongillo has gotten into a rhythm individually, he explained that the team has been unable to get into that same groove because of a tight schedule.
“They’re all good, but right now, we’re not in a rhythm as a team,” Gould added. “And we’ll have spurts because we’re really good, but it’s not yet consistent.”
Following winter break, Gould said the Lions will need practice to gain that sought-after consistency. He also believes that playing “right” will serve them well when NEWMAC play begins in January.
“We’re a very, very good basketball team—there’s no question about it,” he said. “The kids have a great attitude. … But the lesson that we should take away from this is, when we play right, we’re really good. When we play wrong, we’re still good, but we’re going to have to get a little hope.”
“I don’t like hoping to win,” Gould continued. “I want to play to win and play well enough that we can win, even against teams that are good. This game would not have beaten most of the teams in our conference, and they know that. … We’ll live with it, but we [have] to play better.”
The Lions return to non-conference action after the New Year on Jan. 3, facing Amherst College on the road at 3 p.m.
