Emerson College women’s basketball’s five-game win streak ended with a 75-72 loss to Clark University on Saturday, Feb 1. It was the first conference loss for the Lions; they now hold a 4-1 record against NEWMAC opponents and are 13-6 overall.
Sluggish tactic execution, missed free throws, and turnovers were the main themes of the loss. It was a hard-fought battle throughout, with both teams starting intensely on fast-paced defense and offense. The Lions clearly were not familiar with the Cougars’ defensive style, though. They committed eight turnovers in the first quarter compared to six for the Cougars.
“You can’t come out and not be very disciplined with your execution and mentality. You have to be very, very disciplined in order to beat anybody in any way,” said coach Bill Gould. “They are very active, very aggressive defensively. They play a funky defense. They have athletes who can play that defense, and we don’t see it that often, so it’s a little twist for us.”
Most of the Lions’ first-quarter turnovers occurred during ball distribution, and the Cougars appeared to have a complete grasp of their tactical setup.
“Clark played us in a trapping zone defense, and it’s not something we see too often,” said junior guard Bri Frongillo, who scored 26 points while adding five assists and four rebounds despite the loss.
The trapping zone defense is a coordinated tactic in which defenders double-team the ball handler in specific areas, forcing rushed decisions and often leading to turnovers. The Lions trailed by five points at the end of the first quarter at 18-13. In response to the Cougars’ unique defensive style, the Lions used quick rotations—an effort that yielded 13 bench points compared with six for the Cougars—but it wasn’t enough. The Lions’ performance remained lackluster in the second quarter, even though the offense slightly improved. Two three-pointers from Frongillo, along with additional free throws and layups, helped the Lions trim the lead to three points by halftime, 32-29.
“In the first half, we just weren’t us, offensively and defensively,” Frongillo said. “We struggled with holding the ball and not panicking when we saw what was happening.”
“I said it before the game: You have to play calm and aggressive at the same time,” Gould said. “You can’t just play calm because then you don’t do anything, but if you’re too aggressive, you’re out of control. We just didn’t do that, especially in the first half.”
The Lions started off strong in the second half. Their offense was rejuvenated as sophomore guard Kendra Dodd hit four three-pointers, and Frongillo added two more along with multiple field goals. The Lions erased the Cougars’ lead, finishing the third quarter tied at 58-58. Dodd finished with 18 points on six three-pointers.
Although the number of turnovers dropped to four in the third quarter, the Lions missed four free throws.
After a brief offensive revival in the third quarter, the Lions began struggling again in the fourth. They were 1-for-4 from the free-throw line and 1-for-7 from beyond the arc, while the Cougars were 9-for-12 and 0-for-6, respectively. The Lions committed five turnovers to the Cougars’ four, and multiple failed scoring attempts in the final minutes sealed the 75-72 loss.
While the turnover totals per quarter were close, the Cougars capitalized for 21 points off turnovers compared with only 12 for the Lions. The Cougars also had 12 fast-break points to the Lions’ two.
Notably, officials rewarded the Cougars with significantly more free throws than the Lions. In the final seconds, when Frongillo drove into the paint, spectators and coaches believed her left arm was pulled by a defender, yet the referees made no call.
“I thought she got fouled, but I’ll watch the film and maybe I was wrong. I don’t think I was,” Gould said.
“It’s unfortunate that it happened on a crucial play at the end of the game, but you have to take it how it is and move on,” Frongillo added.
Following an 82-72 win over MIT on Feb. 5, the Lions face Mount Holyoke College on Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.
