BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Senior center Jarred Houston (Norwood, Mass.) posted a double-double with game highs of 18 points and 20 rebounds to lead the visiting Emerson College men's basketball team to an 82-69 victory over Bridgewater State University on Thursday night at the Tinsley Center.
The Lions improve to 5-2 on the season, while the host Bears fall to 0-8.
Houston connected on 7 of 13 field goal attempts and went 4-for-5 at the free throw line. He also blocked four shots and ten of his 20 boards came off the offensive glass. Senior guard Zach Waterhouse (Hampton, N.H.) added 14 points and six rebounds (three offensive) for the Lions, while junior guards James Beckwith (Palo Alto, Calif.) and Max Davis (Oakland, Calif.) checked in with 16 and 15 points, respectively, off the bench. Beckwith knocked down 4 of 5 three-point field goals. Davis also contributed six rebounds and four assists.
Freshman guard Quinton Champagne (Wrentham, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with a career-high 16 points and four assists in 24 minutes off the bench. Champagne connected on 6 of 9 field goal attempts including 4-for-6 from behind the arc. Sophomore forward Keyth Key (Springfield, Mass.) added 12 points and seven rebounds (three offensive) for the Bears, while graduate guard Jordan Wetterlind (Twig, Minn.) tallied 12 points and four boards.
Emerson led 37-34 after a tightly contested first half. The Bears scored the first nine points of the game, but the Lions answered with an 11-2 run to knot the score. The rest of the half featured four ties and three lead changes. The final lead change of the half as well as the game came on a Davis three-pointer with 1:56 left to play in the stanza which gave the visitors a 34-32 advantage.
A three-pointer by senior guard Trevor McLean (Boston, Mass.) to open the second half extended the Emerson lead to 40-34. The Lions outscored the Bears 17-7 over the first seven minutes of the period with a Waterhouse layup at the 13:21 mark making it a 12-point game (51-39). Out of a timeout, Bridgewater used a 9-2 run highlighted by a Champagne trifecta to cut the deficit to five (53-48) as the clock ticked under ten minutes. Emerson, however, scored on each of its next five possession and opened up a 64-51 lead following a Houston layup with 7:28 showing on the scoreboard. Bridgewater would get no closer than eight points the rest of the way as the Lions pulled away for the 82-69 victory.
After converting just 38% (13-34) of their field goal attempts in the first half, the Lions bounced back with 56% (18-32) shooting in the second stanza. Emerson knocked down 10 of 20 (50%) three-point field goals for the game, but went 10-for-22 (46%) at the free throw line.
The Bears shot 39% (24-61) for the game, 40% (6-15) from behind the arc and 75% (15-20) at the charity stripe.
The two teams finished with 16 turnovers apiece.
In upcoming action, the Bears travel to Wheaton College on Saturday afternoon for a one o'clock game with the Lyons, while the Lions entertain Keene State College on Monday night at seven.