WORCESTER, Mass. (January 12, 2026) – Emerson College closed out its non-conference schedule with a 58-56 decision over Worcester State University in a women's basketball matinee on Brissette Court this afternoon.
Sophomore Jessie Silk and junior Kaylin O'Meara powered Emerson to its first win of 2026 heading into NEWMAC play with double doubles. Silk led the Lions three double-figure scorers with 23 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season, adding two steals, while O'Meara notched her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-best ten rebounds with three assists and a steal. Senior Bri Frongillo rounded out the Lions in double figures with ten points on 4-of-7 shooting, canning both three-point attempts, with four assists and two steals.
Junior Mia Haynes paced Worcester State with a game-high 24 points, connecting on 4-of-8 three-pointers, with six rebounds, three assists and four steals. Classmate Alana Smith contributed ten points and seven rebounds for the Lancers, while first-year Derin Tokcan also netted ten points with three boards.
O'Meara posted her first career double-double to help the Lions to the road win (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard/RJBSports.com) |
Emerson hit 8-of-12 shots from the floor, while limiting Worcester State to 4-of-15 (26.7%) to turn a one-point deficit (14-13) after a quarter of play into a six-point halftime (31-25) advantage. Frongillo made all three of her shots in the frame, including a three-pointer, to score seven of her ten points in the second quarter alone.
Worcester State started fast, building a seven-point lead (9-2) three minutes into the contest, led by four points from Tokcan. Emerson finished the quarter strong, outscoring the Lancers 11-5 over the final 5:40, keyed by seven points from Silk while Frongillo drained a three, to pull back within one heading to the second. The Lions outscored the hosts 8-2 over the final three minutes of the first half, sparked by a three-point play from Silk and another Frongillo triple, to carry the six-point lead into the intermission.
Worcester State stayed within touch and reclaimed the lead (39-38) after Haynes followed a three-pointer with two free throws with 3:27 left in the third quarter. Silk pushed Emerson back in front (42-41) heading to the fourth quarter with a three-pointer with 39-seconds to play in the third.
Five-straight points by Silk and a layup by junior Claire English pushed Emerson back in front by six (49-43) less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. The Lions stretched the lead to a game-high ten points (54-44) with a layup from junior Elise Arnold with 4:49 remaining, but Worcester State made a charge back to within one (55-54) with a minute to go after six-straight points from Haynes, who scored eight of the Lancers ten points during the 10-1 spurt while the visitors went 0-for-4 from the floor with a turnover.
O'Meara answered with a layup for a three-point (57-54) Emerson lead with 32 seconds remaining and then Silk split two free throws with six seconds on the clock that proved enough to seal the Lions win.
Noteworthy
- Emerson closed out its non-conference schedule with a 9-5 mark, picking up its second road win of the season (2-5) and improving to 3-0 against MASCAC opposition this year.
- Silk netted 20-plus points for the fourth game this season (seventh career), scoring in double figures for the 12th time in 14 games (27th career).
- Silk is Emerson's high scorer for the seventh game this season, with the Lions posting a 6-1 mark in those contests.
- Silk led the Lions in rebounding for the ninth game this season (11th career) with her eighth double-figure rebounding game in notching her ninth career double-double.
- O'Meara scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season (10th career), while Frongillo reached double-digits for the seventh time in eight games played (51 career).
- Emerson posted a 17-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Junior Kendra Dodd made her 40th consecutive start for Emerson (62nd career), while English made her 40th career start for the Lions – all consecutive.
- The Lions are 6-0 this season when holding opponents under 60 points.
Up Next
Emerson (9-5, 0-0 NEWMAC) returns to action on Saturday when it opens NEWMAC play by hosting Salve Regina University at Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gymnasium at 1 p.m. Worcester State (4-9, 1-1 MASCAC) returns to Conference play on Wednesday when it hosts Fitchburg State University at 5:30 p.m.
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