THE BASICS

Score: Wheaton (Mass.) 70, Emerson 61
Records: Emerson Lions (4-12, 0-5 NEWMAC); Wheaton Lyons (9-7, 4-1, NEWMAC)
Location: Norton, Mass. (Emerson Gymnasium)
Date: January 18, 2017
The Lead: Sophomore Geoffrey Gray (Newton, Mass.) powered out an overall game-high and career high 25 points for the Emerson men's basketball team in the Lions' 70-61 defeat at the hands of NEWMAC foe, Wheaton (Mass.), on Wednesday night at Emerson Gymnasium.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

•  Gray led both teams in the scoring column with 25 and finished 10-of-16 from the floor and hit 5-of-6 shots from the charity stripe.
•  Junior Corey Fitz (Los Altos, Calif.) chipped in 13 points for the Lions off the bench. 
•  Sophomore Mac Sashin (Martha's Vineyard, Mass.) and freshman Alex Mrusek (Point Pleasant Beach, N.J.) each had five boards, while four Lions had a pair of assists.
•  Ryan Fogarty paced the hosts with 23 points, while Quinton Dale had a game-high 11 boards and David Carbonello recorded six assists. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• A trey from junior Jared Jackson (Marco Island, Fl.) put Emerson on the board to begin the game, but Wheaton answered with an 11-0 streak to gain a lead at 11-2 that they would never let go.
• The Lions followed the Lyons' early surge with a 10-0 spark of their own to come within one at 13-12 with 9:03 left in the half. 
• After Fogarty nailed a three, Wheaton began to extend its lead over Emerson yet again before the Lions managed to bring themselves within four at 25-18 to close out the half.
• At the 6:24 mark of the second half, Wheaton earned its biggest lead of 57-41 on a layup by Dale. 
• Emerson cut Wheaton's deficit down to seven at 66-59 after a trey from Gray with :22 seconds left in regulation, but two pairs of good free throws from Alex Dubrow sealed the 70-61 loss for the Lions. 

UP NEXT 

• Emerson comes back to Brown & Plofker on Saturday, January 21 for a NEWMAC tilt against MIT slated for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff. 
• Wheaton (Mass.) heads on the road to take on WPI on Saturday, January 21 at 2:00 p.m. 

STAY LIVE WITH THE LIONS

• Stay updated on the Emerson men's basketball team and follow the Lions on Twitter @EmersonHoop and on Facebook at Emerson College Men's Basketball. Also be sure to tune in to Emerson Channel Sports to watch games live!