Following a weekend win over Framingham State University, the Emerson College women’s basketball team trekked up Tremont Street to face the Suffolk University Rams. Led by 25 points from senior guard Bri Frongillo, the Lions took care of business against their cross-Common rivals, defeating the Rams 66-48 for their first road win of the season.
Head coach Bill Gould said he appreciated the Lions’ response following a “rough” Monday practice.
“[The first quarter] was kind of back and forth,” he added. “[Suffolk] took the lead, and I thought our kids responded not only from [Monday], but then in the first quarter [Tuesday], they responded really, really well.”
Emerson ran out to a 7-2 lead in the first quarter after a jumper by sophomore guard Jessie Silk with 8:20 remaining. The Lions held the upper hand for most of the period until the Rams gained momentum with layups and mid-range jumpers. Suffolk regained the lead on a layup with 55 seconds left, ending the first quarter up 12-11.
The Rams’ late momentum shifted into the second quarter, leading by six after a three-pointer with 9:02 remaining. Layups from junior center Claire English and junior forward Elise Arnold trimmed the Rams’ lead to four, 19-15, with 7:27 to go. But with the Rams up six with five minutes left, the Lions roared right back.
Two jumpers by sophomore guard Lindsay Gould (no relation to head coach Bill Gould) tied the game at 25 with 1:53 left, and her two free throws moments later gave Emerson the lead once more. A pair of Frongillo threes and a two-pointer by senior guard Sofia Canter put the Lions up 35-25, capping off a 16-0 run to sprint into halftime with momentum on their side.
“I’ll take that anytime,” Coach Gould said of the team’s first-half finish. “That means we did good defense and good offense. You combine those two things, you’re going to win a lot of games.”
Silk led the charge for the Lions out of the break, scoring eight of their first nine points of the period to give Emerson a 44-27 advantage with 6:37 left. The Lions maintained the double-digit lead for the rest of the quarter, though the Rams’ second three-pointer got them within 11 with 1:11 to go. Emerson ended the third up 50-37.
Frongillo and English scored the brunt of Emerson’s points in the final frame while Suffolk continued to play catch-up. English’s layup at the 6:14 mark gave the Lions an 18-point cushion, and Frongillo’s three put Emerson up 62-41 with 4:46 remaining. The Lions turned on cruise control for the rest of the period, leaving Suffolk with their second consecutive victory.
In addition to her 25 points, Frongillo tallied four rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Lions’ win. Silk finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while English rounded out Emerson’s top-three scorers with 11 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal.
Even after a triumph over their neighbors around the corner, Coach Gould said the Lions must continue to focus on themselves.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, when we play, we just [have] got to do the right thing,” he added. “And we know [Thursday] is the last game going into break, and we know we want to finish strong.”
The Lions are back in the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym tomorrow against the Salem State University Vikings at 7 p.m.
