NCAA DIII MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 

FIRST ROUND

Score: Mass.-Dartmouth 86, Emerson 83

Location: Rochester, N.Y. (Robert A Kidera Gym - Nazareth College) 

Date: March 4, 2022

The Lead: Senior Zach Waterhouse powered the Emerson men's basketball team with a game-high 28 points and junior Max Davis followed with 23 points as the Lions suffered a heartbreaking 86-83 setback to Mass.-Dartmouth in the first round of the NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday afternoon.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON 

Waterhouse: 28 points
Davis: 23 points
Jarred Houston: 18 points, 25 boards & five blocks
Chad DiCenzo: six assists 

MASS-DARTMOUTH

Marcus Azor: 27 points, 10 rebounds
Adam Seablom: 19 points & four steals
Isaac Percy: 10 points
Mike Eurquhart: four blocks 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Three ties occurred through the opening five minutes of the half, the last coming at 8-all at the 15:45 mark. It was at 14:55 when Emerson pieced together a 13-2 spurt and gained their first double-figure lead at 22-11 on a layup from Davis. 
• Emerson continued to maintain its double-digit lead and extended its lead into the 20s after Waterhouse saw his triple fall through at 7:56 to put the lead at 38-17. 
• Mass.-Dartmouth was able to get their lead back into the teens and closed in at 12 to wrap the first half. Mike Eurquhart sent up a layup at the buzzer as the score sat at in Emerson's favor, 43-31 at the break. 
• A layup by DiCenzo kept the Emerson lead at 18 at the 15:24 mark of the second half, but Mass.-Dartmouth answered on its next possession with a triple that ignited a 12-0 run to close within six at 57-51.
• The two teams battled as Emerson was able to keep Mass.-Dartmouth at a distance and gave themselves some room at 8:36 when Davis drained a triple to put the Lions' lead back at 11 at 69-58.
• Junior Stephen Fabrizio completed a perfect trip to the line followed a layup from Houston helped the Lions to a 15-point 73-58 lead with 8:10 on the clock. Through the next two minutes, Emerson was able to keep its 10+ point margin twice before Mass.-Dartmouth began to creep back into the game.
• Houston's layup at 5:07 was the last time Emerson would hold a lead over 10 and led 77-67.
• With 42 seconds left in regulation, Davis's trip to the free throw stripe kept Emerson up six at 83-77, which is the last time the Lions would hold the advantage. 
• Within the final 37 seconds, Mass.-Dartmouth got two quick layups followed by the go-ahead triple at the 18 tick mark. Emerson found themselves down by one as Davis sent up the potential game-winner only for it to fall short as the Lions suffered the 86-83 setback.