THE BASICS 
Score: Emerson 66, Johnson and Wales 63
Records: Emerson Lions (4-7, NEWMAC 0-2); Johnson and Wales (3-8, GNAC 1-1)
Location: Providence, R.I. (Wildcat Center)
Date: January 2, 2024
The Lead- The Emerson Men's Basketball defeated Johnson and Wales to open 2024. The game saw 19 lead changes but the Lions were able to come out on top. Led by 18 points from Trevor Arico, the Lions escaped with a 3-point win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON
Trevor Arico:18 points
Brendan McNamara: 14 points
Asher Gardiner: 9 points
Guillermo Gassett Ruiz: 9 points
 
JWU (Providence)
Aireus Rasberry: 24 points & 11 rebounds
Izlaiah Shaw-Glen: 14 points
Sean Duke: 10 rebounds
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

• The Emerson Men's Basketball team headed to Providence to take on Johnson and Wales in their first game of the 2024 calendar year. This was a tightly contested battle from wire-to-wire including 19 lead changes between the two sides.
• A total of 13 lead changes happened in the first half as the teams continued to trade buckets in the first 20 minutes. Neither side was able to gain more than a 3-point lead during the period, but a buzzer-beating jumper by Jacob Armant gave the Lions the advantage going into halftime. The Lions led by a score of 29-28 after 20 minutes.
• The second half was much of the same from both sides as they traded buckets again throughout the period. The Lions were able to build a 6-point lead on two different occasions but JWU battled back each time to regain a lead.
• With the game tied at 57-57 and just over three minutes remaining, free-throws by Trevor Arico gave the Lions the final lead they would need. They were able to pace JWU in the final three minutes and escape with a narrow 66-63 victory to open up the 2024 calendar year.