THE BASICS 

Score: Emerson 99, Springfield 71

Records: Emerson Lions (14-9, 9-3 NEWMAC) ; Springfied Pride (6-17, 3-9 NEWMAC)

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

Date: February 11, 2023

The Lead: Graduate Nate Martin's 1,000th career point highlighted the Emerson men's basketball team's senior day celebration and with the help of three more double-figure efforts, the Lions propelled past Springfield, 99-71, for their second consecutive win on Saturday afternoon.

Prior to today's game, Emerson men's basketball head coach, Bill Curley, and assistant coaches, Jack Barrett and Ruben DelRosario, honored the class of 2023. The 2023 senior class consists of Ben Allen, James Beckwith, Max Davis, Stephen Fabrizio and Bryan Lupianez, along with the three graduate students, Jarred Houston, Martin and Sean Coman. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Martin: 19 points, two steals 

Houston: 14 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, five blocks

Lupianez: 14 points

Davis: 13 points

Beckwith, Allen, Jacob Armant & Trevor Arico: two steals

SPRINGFIELD

Zander Robinson: 11 points, three assists

Josh Hartley: five rebounds, one steal

Zach Falkenburg: two steals

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Daryl Costa put in Springfield's first bucket on a pull-up jumper 40 seconds into the opening frame and would be the only time the Pride held a lead over Emerson. 
• The game stayed close from 16:27 to 13:39 before Emerson turned a tight two-point lead into a 10-point cushion on a 12-4 spurt that was capped off by Martin's shot from range (21-11).
• Hartley laid in a layup at 8:54 to bring Springfield back to within single digits at nine (22-13), yet Emerson was able to respond with a lengthy 18-6 spurt to once again separate themselves from the Pride. With the help of Arico's top of the key triple, the Lions ballooned their advantage into the 20s with 1:30 left on the clock. 
• Lupianez sent up Emerson's final basket of the first half with 10 ticks remaining to push the Lions to a commanding 46-23 lead at the break. 
• Both Martin and Houston paced the Emerson on the box score with 11 and 10 points, respectively, through the first 20 minutes. 
• Emerson continued to pour on the points in the second half when Coman watched his three fall through, one of the Lions' nine triples in the stanza, at 12:12 and extended the lead to its largest at 40 (74-34). 
• Four minutes later at the 8:00 mark, Martin banked his 1,000th career point as a Lion off a pass from Houston as the Purple & White's margin sat at 33 (78-45). 
• The Lions put 21 more points on the board through the final eight minutes of regulation and cruised to the 99-71 victory over Springfield. 

UP NEXT

• Emerson ventures back on the road come Wednesday, February 15th for their second to last road contest out across town at MIT with tip-off slated for 7:00 p.m.