THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (December 19, 2025) – Emerson College placed three in double figures and held California Lutheran University to 33.3-percent shooting in posting its fifth-straight win with a 66-62 non-conference decision to open its West Coast trip at Gilbert Arena this afternoon.
Junior Guillermo Gasset Ruiz scored a season-high 19 points, including 14 in the second half, on 7-of-12 shooting, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, while senior Linus Helmhold recorded his first double-double of the season to lead Emerson to the win. Ruiz also totaled two rebounds and two steals for the Lions, while Helmhold finished with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and a season-high matching ten rebounds with three assists and two blocked shots. Senior Jacob Armant rounded out Emerson's double-figure scorers with ten points, four rebounds, a season-best six assists and two steals.
Helmhold posted his first double-double of the year to help the Lions to a fifth-straight win. (PHOTO BY Sophia DiNanno) |
Sophomore Ryder Mjoen came off the bench to lead Cal Lutheran with 12 points, aided by 5-for-5 shooting at the free-throw line, and seven rebounds. Classmate Aidan Crawford added ten points, two rebounds and two steals for the Kingsmen, while senior Ze'ev Remer and junior Matthew Verkamp each contributed nine points.
Cal Lutheran held the lead for the majority of the first half after freshman PJ Jourdain (San Diego, California/Cathedral Catholic) scored four points in a run of six-straight by the Kingsmen to grab a six-point lead (18-12) with 8:25 remaining in the half. The Kingsmen stretched that lead to seven with a Crawford layup with under four minutes to play in the frame, but Emerson scored the last six points of the half, including four by sophomore Hank Gramlich, to knot the score at the intermission (28-28).
Senior Brendan McNamara canned a three-pointer and Helmhold hit a jumper to extend the Emerson run to 11-0 for a five-point lead (33-28) less than a minute into the second half. Crawford hit a three-pointer and Verkamp scored a layup off a turnover to put Cal Lutheran back in front (40-39) with 14:51 remaining and sophomore Josh DeVore drained a three for a two-point Kingsmen lead (43-41) 30-seonds later.
The teams traded the lead over the next six minutes before Emerson used a 7-1 spurt to grab a five-point lead (57-52) after an Armant triple with 7:29 to play. A three-minute scoring drought by both teams maintained the Lions lead and then Gasset Ruiz buried a three-pointer to stretch the margin to six (62-56) with 2:42 remaining after two Mjoen free-throws.
Gasset Ruiz scored seven points of his 14 second half points down the stretch, including a pair of free-throws with 39-seconds to play that provided Emerson with a nine-point cushion (66-57) that would prove to be enough cover for a late Cal Lutheran push to the final margin.
Noteworthy
- Emerson has won five straight games for the first time since a six-game upswing in February 2022.
- Emerson shot 53.6-percent from the floor (15-for-28) in the second half, including 5-for-10 (50%) from three-point distance, to grab the win, limiting Cal Lutheran to 32.1% (9-28) shooting over the final 20 minutes.
- Gasset Ruiz' season-high 19 points are just one shy of his career-best and marks his second double-figure scoring game of the season (15th career).
- Helmhold's first double-double of the year is the fifth of his career, scoring in double-figures for the sixth time this season (24 career), while collecting double-digit rebounds for the second time this year (seventh career).
- Armant leads the Lions with seven double figure scoring games this season (37 career).
- The second half included nine lead changes and three ties as part of 12 lead changes and six ties in the contest overall.
- Emerson's nine-point lead in the final minute was the largest for either team in a game where neither team was separated by more than two possessions prior.
- Emerson was outrebounded for just the third game this season with Cal Lutheran posting a 43-27 margin, but the Lions outscored the Kingsmen 16-10 in second chance points despite a 20-9 advantage in offensive rebounds for the hosts.
Up Next
Emerson (6-3, 2-0 NEWMAC) is right back in action tomorrow when it concludes its West Coast trip and first semester schedule at Chapman University at 6 p.m. (ET). The Lions return home after the New Year to host Bowdoin College for a non-conference clash on Hank Smith Court at Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gymnasium on Saturday, January 3, at 1 p.m. Cal Lutheran (5-4, 1-1 SCIAC) hosts Hardin-Simmons University on Tuesday, December 30, at 3 p.m.
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