THE BASICS 

Score: Emerson 80, Worcester State 72

Records: Emerson Lions (4-3) ; Worcester State Lancers (6-4)

Location: Boston, Mass. (Brown & Plofker Gym)

Date: December 3, 2022

The Lead: Led by graduate Jarred Houston's game-high 24 points and three more double-figure showings from James Beckwith, Brendan McNamara and Sean Coman, the Emerson men's basketball team notched their second consecutive win as they topped Worcester State, 80-72, on Saturday afternoon.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Houston: 24 points, nine rebounds, eight blocks, six assists

McNamara: 18 points

Beckwith: 15 points

Coman: 11 points, two steals

WORCESTER STATE

Ryan Rubenskas: 23 points, two blocks

Zion Hendricks: 14 points, four assists

Erik Bjorn: seven rebounds

Aaron Nkrumah: seven rebounds, three steals

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The first five and a half minutes saw Emerson hold on to a lead of four until Worcester State used from 15:07 to 14:23 to piece together a 7-2 run and gain their first lead at 13-12. 
• At 11:14, the Lancers used three consecutive treys to reclaim the four-point edge over the Lions at 19-15. After Brandon Goris dropped a three at 9:49, Emerson used their next possession to take the outright lead through the remainder of the half. 
• With 7:48 left in the first frame, four points from Houston helped Emerson stretch their lead to five before back-to-back buckets from McNamara pushed the Lions to a nine-point cushion at 36-27.
• Worcester State used the remaining three minutes to drop a 10-2 streak as Emerson entered the break with the one-point 38-37 advantage.
• Out of the gate of the second, Worcester State dropped four points to snag the three-point lead at 41-38 as Emerson missed their next three shot attempts and continued to trail by three after a layup from Rubenskas at 43-40.
• McNamara used the long ball to lock the score at 43-all and set the Lions off on a 21-7 spark to extend the host's lead to double figures at 61-50 with 10:59 to go. 
• Another bucket from McNamara kept Emerson in front by 11, but Worcester State cut into that 11-point lead with a 6-0 run to put the Lions' lead at five at 65-60 with 6:31 on the clock.
• Emerson stretched an 8-2 run from 5:03 through 1:52 to bolster their lead back into double digits when Coman turned a Lancers' turnover into two points to set the score at 73-62.
• Worcester State kept creeping back to close within single digits, but Emerson took to the free throw stripe four more times within the final 54 seconds and iced the 80-72 victory. 

UP NEXT

• Emerson treks to Salem State for their final game in New England before Christmas break on Tuesday, December 6th with tip-off slated for 7:00 p.m.