The women’s basketball team returned to the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym Thursday night to face the Westfield State University Owls, hoping to get back in the win column following a two-game losing streak. Their home-court defense was bolstered by the return of junior guard Bri Frongillo, who missed the last six games due to a shoulder injury.

Frongillo was a force in her first game back, scoring 28 points and dishing eight assists en route to a dominant 96-73 victory for the Lions. Not only did it snap the Lions’ losing skid, it also marked the 200th career victory for women’s basketball head coach Bill Gould.

“I think it’s a great thing,” Gould said of his achievement, his suit soaked by his team’s postgame water celebration. “It’s more about the fact that they’re awesome kids, and it’s just really good to coach them. Getting 200 wins with a group I didn’t really like wouldn’t be fun, but these guys are awesome.”

He also had special visitors watching him: his parents, who traveled from Florida to witness his milestone.

“I did say with all the water that [the players] are picking on me, and my parents are going to do something about that,” he joked.

The Lions won the opening tip but were immediately met with a trapping full-court press, which would prove to be problematic for much of the first half. It didn’t deter the Lions’ scoring, as they got off to an 8-2 start behind two three-pointers by Frongillo, forcing Westfield State to call a timeout and pull all five of their starters. First-year guard Jessie Silk euro-stepped to the basket for a layup at the 5:09 mark, bringing Emerson’s lead to 14-5. Sophomore forward Taylor Arnold found her twin sister, Elise, for a three-pointer that put the Lions up 20-9 with 3:27 remaining. The Owls cut into the Lions’ lead by turning defense into offense. A backcourt steal led to a made three-pointer with less than three minutes left in the first quarter. Two more layups brought them within four, 20-16, with 2:13 left. The Lions held on before another steal and layup by the Owls made it a 25-22 ball game at the end of the first quarter.

Emerson got off to a rough start in the second quarter, committing three turnovers in the period’s opening minutes. The Owls capitalized accordingly, getting within five, 29-24, with under eight minutes to go. Still, the Lions extended their lead as the minutes ticked by, leading 43-32 after a pair of Frongillo free throws at the 2:02 mark. Emerson entered the locker room with a comfortable 45-34 lead at halftime.

The Lions warded off Westfield State’s pressure in the first half, but they shifted into a new gear in the second, beginning with an excellent third quarter. A crafty layup by Frongillo put Emerson up 54-34 with 7:52 remaining. Silk buried a three-pointer at the 5:31 mark to give her 18 points and the Lions a 28-point lead, 64-36. Frongillo euro-stepped to the hoop as the Lions led 66-40 with 4:33 left. At this point, Frongillo and Silk combined for 40 points, matching the Owls’ total as a team. The Lions continued their offensive masterclass, scoring 30 points in the period and taking a 75-48 lead into the final frame.

The Lions’ control and composure continued, running up the scoreboard over the final 10 minutes. They led 83-59 before the Owls went on a 12-0 run to cut the deficit with 3:15 left. Silk made a three at the 2:17 mark to bring Emerson to 90 points. Elise Arnold buried back-to-back corner threes to punctuate the Lions’ victory, avenging their previous loss to them last December and beating them for the first time since 2021. Their 96 points were just shy of a program-record 103, attained against Mitchell College last November.

Aside from Frongillo, Silk tallied a career-high 22 points on 7/10 shooting from the field and 4/6 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Kendra Dodd finished with 19 points, including five three-pointers.

Gould joked that Frongillo was “not terrible” in her return.

“She’s obviously a very, very good player,” he said. “And against a team like this, where you need to have control, she did a really nice job … Bri just adds a different dimension, there’s no question [about it].”

Frongillo said she felt good in her first game back.

“I was a little nervous beforehand [about] how my stamina would be, but it went well,” she said.

She added that experience and preparation were critical for succeeding against tough Owl defense.

“We just prepared really well,” she said. “We just knew we had to stay calm and composed, and just play our game, not their game.”

Gould said that composure was key to overcoming the Owls’ full-court pressure. He also advised them of a key approach to limit their mistakes: “25 [turnovers] is the new 15.”

“Every game, we might have a goal, say, ‘Okay, we want 15 or fewer turnovers,’” he said. “This game, 25 is 15. You know you’re going to have a lot of turnovers, so just try to not freak out, and just keep it to 25. Against this kind of team, it’s normal. … Last year, we had 41 against them. One team, this year, had 57 turnovers. So, to have 24 turnovers against this kind of team was fantastic.”

Frongillo noted how she and Silk “didn’t miss a beat” Thursday, having last played in the season opener. The duo combined for 50 points on 16/24 (66%) shooting from the field and 7/11 (63%) from deep.

“We really clicked, we played well together,” she said. “I feel like we complement each other really well, and that was the same thing today. We understand how to play basketball well and play basketball together, and neither of us are selfish. We’re always looking for each other and looking to make the right play.”

The third-year guard has taken several lessons heading into her second season at Emerson, particularly as one of the team’s captains.

“Definitely trying to be more of a leader, be more vocal,” she said, “and I think the lesson is holding people accountable and making sure we’re doing the right things, we’re doing things with intention, and we just go out every night and we do our best.”

Gould added that a game like Thursday’s will benefit them once NEWMAC play begins in January.

“We won’t play anybody like that style-wise, but pressure—where the intensity is non-stop, relentless—that’s why I like playing [Westfield State],” he said. “Because, you know you’re going to face not the same style, but the same pressure and same intensity, so I thought it was great preparation for us.”

Following a 68-60 loss to Framingham State on Saturday, the Lions head back to the Bobbi to face the Emmanuel College Saints on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 7:30 p.m.