THE BASICS 

Score: Babson 80, Emerson 73

Records: Emerson Lions (7-3, 0-1 NEWMAC) ; Babson Beavers (8-5, 1-0 NEWMAC)

Location: Babson Park, Mass. 

Date: January 5, 2022

The Lead: Senior Jarred Houston paced the Emerson men's basketball team with a game-high triple-double of 24 points, 19 boards & 10 blocks as the Lions were upended by Babson, 80-73, on Wednesday in their conference opener at Stake Gymnasium. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Houston: 24 points, 19 rebounds, 10 blocks & two assists 
Zach Waterhouse: 15 points, one steal
Nate Martin: 14 points
James Beckwith: 13 points
Chad DiCenzo: five assists

BABSON

Andrew Kirkpatrick: 21 points
Kiernan Dorney: 20 points & 10 rebounds
Mitchell Kirsch: five assists

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Emerson held a slight lead over Babson through much of the first frame up until the 9:00 mark when a Kirkpatrick pushed the Beavers up 21-20. The Lions remained in striking distance on Beckwith's basket at 7:06 to pull within a pair at 26-24. 
• After the Lions inched within two, it was Kirkpatrick who dropped a triple at 7:06 to set the Beavers' off on a 7-0 streak to put the visitors in a nine-point hole with 5:39 to go in the half. 
• Emerson played with a double-digit deficit through the remainder of the first with their biggest gap coming within the final 40 ticks of the half at 41-28. Martin banked a deep three to wrap Emerson's first-half scoring as the Lions entered the locker room with the score at 44-31. 
• Thanks to a 10-3 offensive spark pieced together by the Lions, Waterhouse's shot beyond the arc capped off the run and fell through as the visitors were locked up 47-all with the Beavers with 13:01 on the clock. 
• The two teams played neck-and-neck over the next several minutes as Emerson again closed in on Babson at 52-51 on Waterhouse's jumper at 11:19. The Lions maintained a distance of no more than four points in the following minutes before the Beavers began to pull away when Kirkpatrick dropped a three at 4:30 with the score at 69-61 
• In the closing minute of regulation, Emerson kept their comeback hopes alive with Waterhouse's layup to put the score at 73-70, but Babson took to the charity stripe to close the game as the Lions fell 80-73.

UP NEXT 

• Emerson continues NEWMAC play next Wednesday, January 12th with a matchup out at Clark at 7:00 p.m.