Box Score THE BASICS
Score: Emerson 65, Wheaton (Mass.) 59
Records: Emerson Lions (10-10, 3-8 NEWMAC); Wheaton Lyons (4-17, 2-10 NEWMAC)
Location: Boston, Mass. (Brown & Plofker Gym)
Date: February 1, 2017
The Lead: Led by a team-best 15 points from sophomore Natalie Busch (Weybridge, England), the Emerson women's basketball team powered out a 65-59 NEWMAC home tilt victory over the visiting Wheaton (Mass.) Lyons to move to .500 at Brown & Plofker Gym on Wednesday night.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Along with 15 points, Bush finished going 6-for-8 from the floor and 3-for-4 from behind the three-point line to match three assists and one rebound.
- Junior Sierra Ducey (Poway, Calif.) recorded a team-high nine rebounds and four assists, while sophomore Charlie Boyle (Scotts Valley, Calif.) was a rebound shy of a double-double with nine rebounds and 15 points.
- Junior Eastin Ashby (Pittston, Penn.) registered a game-high four steals.
- Sophia Black paced the visiting Lyons with an overall game-best 17 points and co-led with Chelsea Rairdon with three assists, while Emily Cuthbertson recorded a game-high 10 rebounds.
- Emerson outshot Wheaton on the floor (47.1-31.4) and beyond the arc (35.3-25.0), while the Lyons outscored the Lions on the free throw line (83.3-68.8).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Emerson kept Wheaton off the board through 5:33 of the first quarter and gained the 10-0 lead before the Lyons tallied their first basket.
- Using a 13-3 push, the Lions ballooned their lead to 18 at 21-5 after senior Elizabeth Horan (Ashland, Mass.) canned back-to-back triples with 1:17 left.
- Wheaton added on five points to conclude the first as Emerson held the 25-10 lead.
- At the 4:57 mark of the second quarter, the Lions pulled ahead 19 at 31-15 on a trey by Busch.
- Thanks to ten points from Black, Wheaton was able to close within Emerson at seven to close out the first half with the Lions on top, 35-26.
- The Lions were able to keep the Lyons back by 11 until the 3:21 mark of the third quarter as Wheaton pieced together a 10-1 run to cut Emerson's lead down to one (46-45).
- Freshman Quinn Madden (Mokena, Ill.) sent up a three with two seconds remaining in the third, but it fell just short and kept the score at 46-45.
- Emerson again kept Wheaton scoreless at the 6:23 mark of the fourth quarter and allowed themselves to up their lead to eight on a triple by Busch.
- A 9-3 Wheaton run cut the margin down to four at 58-54 with 2:26 left to play in regulation.
- Despite a triple by Jill Bodreau with 10 ticks left on the clock, Savino sank the final point from the charity stripe for the Lions to seal the 65-59 win.
UP NEXT
- Emerson hits the road for a NEWMAC tilt at Mount Holyoke on Saturday, February 4 and is slated for a 1:00 p.m. tipoff.
- Wheaton heads home for its final two home stands and hosts Springfield in a conference matchup at 1:00 p.m. as well.
STAY LIVE WITH THE LIONS
