NEWMAC SEMIFINALS

THE BASICS 

Score: No. 3 Babson 69, No. 2 Emerson 64

Records: No. 2 Emerson Lions (16-10, 11-3 NEWMAC) ; No. 3 Babson Beavers (18-8, 10-4 NEWMAC)

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

Date: February 23, 2023

The Lead: Spearheaded by 19-points a piece from graduates Jarred Houston and Nate Martin, the No. 2 Emerson men's basketball team was edged out by No. 3 Baboon, 69-64, in the NEWMAC Semifinals on Thursday night. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Houston: 19 points, 18 rebounds, two blocks 

Martin: 19 points, three assists 

Trevor Arico: three assists 

BABSON

Andrew Kirkpatrick: 27 points, four assists

Nate Amado: 17 points, three blocks

Mark Woolhouse: seven rebounds

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Emerson went three minutes without a basket, which allowed Babson to jump out to an 8-0 lead after Amado laid in a layup. Martin drained a three and drew the foul for the four-point play to get Emerson on the board and put the score at 8-4. 
• The Lions continued to trail by six over the next several minutes, but were able to scrape up a quick four points to pull within a pair at 14-12 at 11:35. 
• Emerson was able to keep pace with Babson in the following minutes and chipped the lead down to two on three more occasions, the last time coming at 20-18 with 5:49 to play in the first.
• Babson answered on their next possession with a 11-4 spurt to put Emerson in a nine-point deficit as the clock wound down to 1:26. Martin registered a free throw with 23 ticks on the clock, but Kirkpatrick got off a jumper at the seven second mark as Emerson entered the break down 10, 33-23. 
• With five minutes of the second half gone, Emerson found themselves down by double-figures after Babson rang off a 8-2 spark and fell behind at 41-25 with just under 15 minutes remaining in regulation. 
• Down 14 at the 8:21 mark after a layup from Timmy O'Toole, Emerson chiseled down Babson's once commanding the lead and spread an 21-10 run up to put the score within single digits at five when Arico drained a triple (64-59).
• Babson took the game to the free throw line through the remaining 33 seconds of the half as Emerson trailed by eight at 69-61. Beckwith used the Lions final possession to drop a shot from range, but the buzzer sounded as the hosts fell, 69-64.