THE BASICS 

Score: Emerson 79, MIT 72

Records: Emerson Lions (11-4, 4-2 NEWMAC) ; MIT Engineers (9-7, 2-4 NEWMAC) 

Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Rockwell Cage)

Date: January 22, 2022

The Lead: Four of five starters, including seniors Nate Martin, Zach Waterhouse and Jarred Houston and junior James Beckwith, paced the Emerson men's basketball team with double-figure showings as the Lions held on for the 79-72 victory out at MIT on Saturday afternoon. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Martin: 21 points & four assists
Waterhouse: 20 points & one steal
Houston: 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals & three blocks
Beckwith: 14 points
Chad DiCenzo: four assists 
Max Davis & Vince Conn: two steals 

MIT

Ian Hinkley: 27 points & nine rebounds
Tim Kostolansky: 13 points
Alex Cho: 12 points & five assists
Spencer Lin: two steals 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Emerson led by as much as six through the opening 10 minutes of the first half, but MIT managed to claw their way back into the game starting at 13:11. A 9-1 spurt that started and ended with shots from the arc, the Engineers gained the five-point edge over the Lions at 21-16. 
• A Beckwith triple kept Emerson within a pair at 23-21, but MIT used Lin and Cho's charity stripe trips to lift the hosts to their biggest lead of the game at six at 28-22 with 7:05 to play in the half. 
• MIT's six-point advantage did not last long for Emerson answered with a lengthy run of their own. Down six, Houston drew the and-one to set the Lions offense off on an 8-1 run that was capped off by a Martin's trifecta and once again put the visitors in front, 30-29. 
• The Lions poured in six more points through the final minutes of the frame and entered the half with the slight 36-34 edge over the Engineers. 
• Emerson capitalized by a scoring lull by MIT and bolstered its lead all the way up to 21 at 8:07 with the help of a trey by Houston and the score leaning in the Lions' favor at 68-47.
• The hosts would not go away quietly despite Emerson's large lead. A free throw by Martin at the 4:50 mark was the last basket Emerson would convert with their advantage at 73-54. 
• Starting at the 4:33 mark on a Hinkley layup, MIT used Emerson's offensive silence to rattle off the next 13 points and close the gap to within single digits at 73-65. Emerson took to the free throw line to put some space between them and MIT to keep their lead at seven. 
• Michah Boone sent up a three at the buzzer, but the shot feel short as Emerson held on to the 79-72 win. 

UP NEXT

• Emerson comes back home for the start of a two-game home stand and play host to Springfield on Wednesday, January 26th at 7:00 p.m.