The Emerson women’s basketball team played their second home game in four days at the Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gym Saturday, battling the Regis College Pride, who entered 0-7 overall. Five Lions hit double figures as Emerson ran to an 85-66 victory.

The Lions won the opening tip, but Pride got on the board first with a steal and layup 10 seconds in. Emerson then found the bottom of the net on nearly every possession afterward, going on a 16-0 run punctuated by a layup from graduate forward Charlotte Levison. They shot 5/7 from the field and were a perfect 3/3 from three-point range at that point. The Lions’ lead grew to 23-7 with a Levison three-point play at the 2:03 mark. Junior guard Bri Frongillo cruised down the court for a layup with nine seconds left, and the Lions led 27-11 after the first quarter.

The Pride responded quickly in the second quarter, making a layup and three-pointer to get within 11 with eight minutes remaining. Emerson managed to keep their distance by scoring points in the paint. Frongillo found Levison for a layup with under seven minutes remaining, giving the graduate 13 points in the first half and Emerson a 31-18 lead. The Pride buried a three with 3:42 left to make it a 35-23 ball game, though the Lions entered halftime with a 37-25 lead.

Head coach Bill Gould said the halftime adjustment was all about control.

“It was just making sure that we controlled not only what was happening on the court, but also our emotions,” he said. “Not playing into the way the game might have been going. When you get up 16-2, it’s human nature—you can say it all you want, but it’s human nature to have a down [period]. I just said go out and impose your will, and make sure you’re controlling the game in every aspect, and I thought we did a better job of that in the second half.”

The Lions’ lead grew in the second half as Frongillo spun around and banked in a jumper with 7:10 left in the third quarter, the Lions up 45-29. The Pride tried to keep the game close, but the Lions refused to let up. The purple and gold were up 56-35 after Levison found sophomore guard Kendra Dodd for a three-pointer at the 4:05 mark. Sophomore forwards Taylor and Elise Arnold connected on a play, as Elise buried a three with 1:15 remaining. The Lions scored 26 points in the period, leading to a 63-41 advantage at its end.

Their dominance continued in the fourth quarter, as Dodd beat the shot clock with a corner three, giving Emerson a 73-53 lead at the 5:46 mark. She hit another one to put Emerson up 21 with three minutes left, giving her 15 points on 5/7 shooting from deep. The Pride scored off of layups and free throws with an occasional three-pointer, though the game was ultimately controlled by the Lions. Junior guard Sophia Canter swished a three with 15 seconds left, and Regis hit a layup at the buzzer.

Frongillo led the Lions with 20 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. Dodd, aside from 15 points, tallied three rebounds, one assist and a steal. Levison finished with 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal. Elise Arnold and sophomore center Claire English rounded out Emerson’s double-digit scorers with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Following the win, Gould was pleased with the way the team took care of business.

“We did what we needed to do,” he said. “Couple of shaky moments, but overall, I thought it was a pretty solid game.”

When asked about observations in the first 11 games of the season, Gould said “it’s hard to give a real good answer,” in part because of a “crazy” first semester.

“I’ve seen a lot of good things,” he added. “But, we haven’t had any sense of consistency—but that’s not anybody’s fault, it’s just the way things have gone because of injuries and the schedule.”

Gould noted that while he’s happy with what he’s seen so far, consistency remains key, but it remains tricky given injuries and illnesses to several players. Only six Lions—half of the team—have played in all 11 games.

“It’s been hard to get into any sort of flow,” he said. “I think the flow not only will come, but it certainly needs to come in the second semester once we get into conference play.”

The Lions begin NEWMAC action on Jan. 18 at Babson. Gould’s message is simple: “Be ready.”

“This [non-conference schedule] was all in preparation for the NEWMAC—which is one of the top, depending on the year, one, two, three, four conferences in the country,” he said. “It’s always stacked, it’s always competitive, and you got to be ready to play.”

The Lions will head to Florida over winter break to participate in the Cruzin’ Classic, a four-day tournament at St. Thomas University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that features Div. III teams from across the country.

“When you go to a tournament, you don’t know who you’re going to play initially,” Gould said. “So, you sign up to go to a tournament and your goal [is], ‘Just go 1-1.’”

He added that he looks forward to facing two opponents with vastly different records. Their first foe—Concordia University Wisconsin—is currently 1-5 overall. Their next opponent—Gettysburg College from Pennsylvania—is undefeated and ranked No. 9 in the country by D3hoops.com.

“It’s a bit of a split,” Gould joked. “So, we’ll see how that goes, but I think it’s gonna be a good tournament for us. Gettysburg … will be great preparation for us to see where we’re at against a really good opponent. But Concordia Wisconsin, those Wisconsin teams are pretty good.”

Their game against Concordia University Wisconsin is on Dec. 20 at 4:30 p.m.