Box Score THE BASICS
Score: Emerson 75, Coast Guard 67
Records: Emerson Lions (6-16, 2-9 NEWMAC); Coast Guard Bears (6-15, 2-9 NEWMAC)
Location: New London, Conn. (Roland Hall)
Date: February 8, 2017
The Lead: On Wednesday night, the Emerson men's basketball notched its second consecutive win behind double-figure efforts by sophomore Geoffrey Gray (Newton, Mass.) and junior John Geary (Duxbury, Mass.) as the Lions handed Coast Guard its third straight loss, 75-67.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Gray, who poured in a team-best 21 points and 15 rebounds, finished 5-for-10 from the floor with three assists, one block and was a perfect 11-for-11 on the charity stripe.
- Geary finished at 5-for-12 from the field with 15 points, two boards, an assists and a steal and was also 4-for-9 behind the three-point line.
- Patrick Witkowski dished out an overall game-best 25 points to match a team-best eight boards for Coast Guard.
- Micah Baldez followed Witkowski with 21 points to match a team-high four assists and three steals.
- Emerson outshot Coast Guard on the floor (39.7-35.9), within the paint (24-8) and on the glass (48-34).
- Coast Guard notched a 41.2% from beyond the arc to Emerson's 35.7% and the Bears beat the Lions on the free throw line (87.5-78.9).
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Emerson grabbed its first lead in the first half, 25-18, with 8:32 on the clock, but Coast Guard used an 8-3 push to conclude the half at 35-all.
- Within the second half, neither team led by more than a five-point margin as the score flip flopped.
- Entering the final 3:36 of the second frame, Coast Guard gave themselves the 67-62 advantage on a bucket from Baldez before the Bears were unable to make its final eight shot attempts.
- Gray hit a layup that ignited Emerson's 12-0 streak and had his trey at the 1:26 mark push the Lions ahead 69-67.
- After Gray's go-ahead layup gave Emerson the lead, he canned a pair of shots from the charity line with 1:16 left and two more with 20 ticks remaining.
- With 13 seconds left in regulation, Gray iced the 75-67 comeback victory with two final free throw shots.
UP NEXT
- Emerson faces off against Springfield on Saturday, February 11 for a 1:00 p.m. contest that is set to be played at UMass-Boston.
- Coast Guard remains at home and welcomes WPI on Saturday, February 11 for a 3:00 p.m. NEWMAC tilt.
STAY LIVE WITH THE LIONS
