Lions head coach Bill Curley presents Taylor with his MVP plaque after this afternoon's game (PHOTO BY Meleena Manalang, '28) |
DARTMOUTH, Mass. (November 7, 2026) – Emerson College shot over 54-percent from the floor with a balanced scoring effort in posting a 95-82 victory over SUNY-Potsdam to capture the championship game of the 2026 Lafrance Hospitality Tournament, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, at Tripp Athletic Center this afternoon.
Senior Brendan Taylor led five from Emerson in double-figures with 21 points to earn Tournament Most Valuable Player honors, connecting on 8-of-12 field goals, including 5-for-9 from three-point range, with five rebounds in just 17-minutes off the bench. He was joined on the All-Tournament team by classmate Caden Zurek after pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds to go with nine points, two assists and a steal.
Senior BJ McNeil contributed a career-best 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and two assists, while junior Roman Leraris made all five of his shots from the floor, including a three, and both free-throw tries for a career-high 13 points and three assists off the bench for the Lions. Seniors Ray Allen III and Shay Roban rounded out the Lions in double figures with ten points apiece, while Allen chipped in six boards and two steals.
Senior Nicholas Cortez was the lone SUNY Potsdam player in double-figures with a game-high 30 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including 4-for-9 from deep, while converting 8-of-10 free-throws with four steals.
Emerson led for all but 70-seconds in the contest, grabbing a seven-point halftime lead with a 17-7 run after Potsdam had grabbed a lead (31-29) with a Cortez layup with 6:19 to play in the half. The Lions extended their lead to 11 (54-43) after a layup from senior Guillermo Gasset Ruiz less than three minutes into the second half.
Potsdam pulled back within six (59-53) with a three-pointer by junior Mike Hancock two minutes later, but Emerson reeled off a 22-2 run, led by ten points from Taylor, including two three-pointers, to open a game-high 26-point advantage (81-55) it would not relinquish.
Noteworthy
- Emerson has won its first two games of the season for the second time in three years.
- Taylor's 21 points fell just one shy of his career-best, marking his second career 20-point outing.
- Zurek reached double-figures in rebounds for the second time in his career with his career-high total, leading Emerson to a 45-30 rebounding advantage in the contest.
- McNeil scored in double figures for the third time in his career, while Leraris and Allen III each notched their first career double-figure scoring games.
- Taylor led an Emerson bench that scored 45 points with two double-figure scorers.
Up Next
Emerson (2-0, 0-0 NEWMAC) is back in action on Wednesday when it visits Salem State University for a non-conference matchup at 1 p.m. The Lions home opener is on Tuesday, November 17, when they host Tufts University on Hank Smith Court at Bobbi Brown and Steven Plofker Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. SUNY Potsdam (1-1, 0-0 SUNYAC) visits SUNY Poly on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
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