Box Score BOSTON, Mass. - In an electric rematch between the visiting Suffolk University Rams and Emerson College, the Lions netted their second victory over the cross-Common rival with a 74-64 win Saturday afternoon. With the W, EC moves to 4-17 on the year, and 4-10 in the GNAC while Suffolk falls to 8-14 and 5-10 in the conference.
The first half saw both teams nearly identical in every statistical category, except Emerson out-rebounded the Rams 17 to 11, the major factor that helped EC claw their way back. Suffolk jumped out to a 22-10 advantage thanks to the intensity shown from the 6th man bench going wild.
Suffolk shot 46% from the floor compared to EC's 34.5% to give the Rams the edge though
for the Lions,
Dan Bisaccio led first half scorers with six points, hitting two of four from behind the arc. Biliali Mack and
Drew Venter each chipped in five of their own. Even with the efforts, the Rams charged their way into the locker room up 34-30 at the half.
Emotions were high and the atmosphere was intense as Emerson took their first lead of the game with 16:37 left to play and never looked back as Eli Kell-Abrams, Bilali Mack, and Drew Venter stepped into the spotlight with 13, 11, and 11 points respectively.
It was a team effort, though, as
Patrick Lowndes and
James Rhodes each dropped nine and
Nathan Firn with eight to give the Rams too much to handle on defense. The Lions dominated the boards as well as Lowndes flew through the air to snag eight, four of which were on offense.
Emerson got the offense rolling as they shot 17 of 28 from the floor in the half alone, upping the average to 47% in the game. The Lions' stingy defense suffocated the Rams' second half offense as they shot just 35% from the floor and hit 3-12 from long distance
Matt Pepdjonovic had a double-double for Suffolk with 11 points to go with a team-high 14 rebounds. Chris Torres led the Suffolk assault with 15 points as Justin Barall and Colin Halpin contributed 13 and 12 apiece.
The Lions look to get their revenge after a close 69-67 loss three weeks ago to Mt. Idea as they travel to take on the Mustangs Tuesday, Feb. 7 for a 6 P.M. tip-off.
Submitted by Annie Jenkins, Emerson Athletic Media Relations
