THE BASICS 

Score: Emerson 77; Wheaton (MA) 75

Records: Emerson Lions (16-9, 11-3 NEWMAC); Wheaton (MA) (13-11, 8-6 NEWMAC)

Location: Norton, Mass. (Haas Athletic Center)

Date: February 18, 2023

The Lead: Led by Nate Martin and Jarred Houston, the Emerson Men's Basketball team wrapped up the 2022-2023 regular season with a road victory over Wheaton (MA) Saturday afternoon in Norton, Mass.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON 

Jarred Houston: 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks

Nate Martin: 26 points and 4 rebounds

Sean Coman: 8 points and 6 rebounds

WHEATON (MA):

Aaron Williams: 27 points, 7 rebounds

Alex Carlisle: 8 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists

Evan Cook: 10 points, 4 assists

HOW IT HAPPENED `

• The tightly contested matchup between Emerson and Wheaton saw 4 lead changes and 9 ties throughout the game. Emerson converted on 26 of their 66 attempts while Wheaton nearly mirrored them; converting 27 of 67 attempts. The difference came from beyond the arc. The Lions hit 8 of the 24 three-pointers while Wheaton only hit 2 of 14 attempts.
• The Lions offense was led by Graduates Nate Martin and Jarred Houston. Martin dropped in a team-high 26 points, shooting 50% from the field and drilling 5 three pointers. Houston dropped in 24 points, pulled down 13 rebounds and also turned away 5 shots.
• Graduate Sean Coman chipped in 8 points off the bench for Emerson.
• The teams traded buckets most of the day, including in the final minutes of regulation. Emerson took the lead with just over a minute to play, before Wheaton came right back and tied the game. Emerson again took a 2-point lead before Wheaton tied the game at 75-75 with :22 remaining.
• With the game looking like it was headed for overtime, Martin drilled a jumo-shot to give Emerson another 2-point lead, forcing Wheaton to call a timeout.
• After the timeout, Wheaton was unable to convert on a shot at the buzzer, helping secure a 77-75 victory for the Emerson Lions.

UP NEXT

• The Lions will enter the NEWMAC tournament as the #2 seed and will welcome #3 seed Babson to the Brown and Plofker Gym in a rematch of last season's semi-final matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for Thursday, February 23^rd at 7pm