BOSTON, Mass. -- Austin Pinckney (Miami, Fl.) exploded for a 35 point, 20 rebound double-double to lead the Lions of Emerson College to an 85-72 victory over the Wheelock men's basketball team Thursday evening at Winsor Court.

Emerson got off to a perfect start, jumping out to an immediate 16-0 lead. The Lions led by as many as 19 in the first half, but a 12-0 Wheelock run with 4:27 to go helped set the halftime score at 35-25.

During the break, President Jackie Jenkins-Scott and Director of Athletics Dwight Datcher honored the Wheelock women's cross country team with the 2015 New England Collegiate Conference championship trophy, after junior forward Anthony Williams(White Plains, N.Y.) had been recognized prior to the tip for reaching the 1000 career point milestone.

The Lions came into the second half hot with 7 unanswered points, 5 of which came from Michael Sheng (Altadena, Calif.). Emerson held a 73-49 advantage with 4:49 remaining, but again, Wheelock would keep chipping away to cut the lead.

A Derek Fournier (Johnston, R.I.) 3 pointer and free throw chopped the Lions cushion to 11 with 20 seconds remaining, but ultimately Emerson would come away with the 85-72 road victory.

Wheelock was led by junior guard Nicholas Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.), who finished the night with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Joe Reedy (Orlando, Fl.)added 16 points of his own to go along with 5 rebounds and a steal.

The Wildcats return to action on Saturday, December 12, when they travel to Mount Ida College for a 1:00 p.m. contest. Emerson resumes their schedule on January 3 when they host Suffolk at 1:00 p.m.