THE BASICS 

Score: Emerson 63, Wellesley 56

Records: Emerson Lions (7-11, 2-1 NEWMAC) ; Wellesley Blue (6-11, 1-3 NEWMAC)

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

Date: January 25, 2023

The Lead: Paced by junior Ella Bushee's 14 points, four members of the Emerson women's basketball team tallied double figures to boost the Lions to their second NEWMAC win of the season in a 63-57 victory over Wellesley on Wednesday night.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Bushee: 14 points, two blocks

Olivia Deslauriers: 13 points

Chelsea Gibbons: 12 points

Quinn O'Connor: 12 points

Ava Salti: four assists, three steals

Carla Pelino: seven rebounds

WELLESLEY

Jiyun Chae: 22 points, four assists, four steals

Pujita Shukla: 10 points

Sairah O'Brien-Forde: six rebounds

Arla Hofer: three blocks

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• A pair of layups from Pelino and Gibbons mixed in with triple from Deslauriers extended Emerson's lead to 7-0 in the opening 1:37 of the first frame. Wellesley responded 13 seconds later with an 8-0 spurt of their own to push in front, 8-7.
• Emerson jumped back in front by three with 3:36 on the clock before Chae knocked down the three-point equalizer to move the score to 11-all.  
• Buckets from sophomores Mackenzie Bruno and O'Connor kept the Lions ahead by a pair and entered the second up 15-13.
• It took Wellesley 17 seconds into the second to level the score at 17-all and would be the closest the Blue would threaten. A corner triple from Salti began what would become a 10-0 spark and give Emerson their biggest lead at 25-15. 
• Wellesley was able to creep back and used an 8-2 run from 4:08 to 1:41 to get within a pair, but Emerson put themselves back up by six to close out the half with the score at 33-27.
• The Lions kept the Blue within seven through the first four minutes of the third and bumped their advantage back into double-figures at 11 on layup from Bushee at the 4:35 mark (41-32).
• Back-to-back triples from Shukla and Chae helped Wellesley chisel Emerson's margin down to six at 44-38 and 2:15 on the clock, but the Lions outscored the Blue, 7-2, through the final two minutes and closed the third on top, 51-40.
• At 7:22, Emerson separated themselves by their biggest lead of 12 and stayed in front by double-figures over the next three minutes at 59-47.
• Wellesley used from 2:54 to 1:12 to gain ground on Emerson and closed in within five on a 9-2 run, but the visitors missed their final shot attempt with 51 seconds and allowed Bushee to ice the seven-point 63-56 win on a layup. 

UP NEXT

• Emerson wraps their three-game home stand on Saturday, January 28th with a NEWMAC slate hosting WPI with tip-off slated for 1:00 p.m.