Boston, Mass. - January 26, 2022 - The Springfield College men's basketball continued New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Wednesday night and was downed by host Emerson, 98-77.

The Pride dropped to 5-11, 3-4 in conference play, while Emerson improved to 12-4, 5-2.

Jacob Morales (Montvale, N.J.) once again carried the offensive load for Springfield as he tied his career-high of 22 points to og along with 10 boards.  Zeke Blauner (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) netted 18 points off the bench and added seven caroms, while Collin Lindsay (East Longmeadow, Mass.) returned to the lineup and contributed 11 points.  

Emerson was led by a 28-point, 21-rebound effort by Jarred Houston as the hosts shot 34-for-67 (51%) and canned 14 three pointers in the game, including four from Max Davis as he registered 23 points off the bench.  The Lions held a 42-30 advantage on the boards in the game. 

After back-to-back triples gave the hosts a 19-8, a Blauner bucket would pull the Pride within 23-17 at the 11:02 mark.  However, Emerson would pour on a 22-2 spurt to push its lead to 43-19 following another triple with just over five minutes left in the half.  However, Springfield would not go quietly, outscoring the Lions by a 20-6 margin to close the half and pull within 49-39.  Morales would net 16 points in the opening half to pace the Pride.

Emerson continued to make an impact from deep and helped the Lions regain its double-figure lead over Springfield, which stood at 12 after Houston completed a successful trip to the charity stripe.  Springfield capitalized on three missed Emerson baskets and narrowed the Lions' deficit all the way down to six after a quick 6-0 run to put the score at 62-56 with 13:18 on the clock on a jumper from Nick Bray (Hartford, Conn.).  However, Emerson was too tough down the stretch as an 11-0 burst put the game out the reach en route to the 21-point triumph.

On Saturday, Springfield will travel to take on nationally-ranked WPI in a 1 pm showdown.

For the latest on Springfield College Athletics, follow the Pride on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Springfield "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.