Springfield, Mass. - February 12, 2022 - The Springfield College men's basketball team had five players score in double figures as it dropped an 89-82 decision to Emerson in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) clash on Saturday in Blake Arena. 

The win lifted Emerson to 15-6, 8-4, while the Pride slipped to 5-16, 3-9. 

Jacob Morales (Montvale, N.J.) paced Springfield with 17 points, six assists, and five boards, while Zeke Blauner (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) added 17 points off the bench.  Both Nick Bray (Hartford, Conn.) and Collin Lindsay (East Longmeadow, Mass.) scored 12 points and Daryl Costa (Providence, R.I.) added 11 points and six helpers.  For the game, Springfield held a 36-32 edge o nthe glass and shot 31-for-69 (45%)

Zach Waterhouse scored a game-high 27 points on 10-of-13 shooting, Max Davis added 20 points off the bench, and Jarred Houston pulled down 10 defensive boards.  The Lions held a 36-22 advantage on points in the paint and shot 55% from the field in the game.  

Springfield jumped out to a 15-4 lead just over five minutes into the contest after Morales got free for a triple in transition as the visitors called for a 30-second timeout.  The hosts lead would ballon to 14 points as a Blauner bucket inside allowed the Pride to hold a 20-6 advantage with 12:15 left in the half.  The Lions answered with a 12-5 burst capped off by back-to-back three's from Davis as the Pride called for a timeout of its own at the 9:35 mark. Out of the break, Morales finished in the lane to push the lead back to 27-18, only to have an 11-2 surge by Emerson knot the game up at 29 following a Trevor McLean layup with 4:52 to play. A jumper from Costa gave the Pride its last lead at 35-31 of the half as the visitors closed out the final three-plus minutes on a 13-5 push to head into the break with a 44-40 lead.  

A three-pointer from Bray and inside score from Curtiss Blische (Barkhamsted, Conn.) to start the second half gave the Pride a 45-44 lead inside the opening two minutes, but Emerson responded with a 14-4 run, which was closed out by eight-consecutive points from Waterhouse, as the Lions opened up a 58-49 lead with 13:45 left to play. A fantastic finish by Blauner in transition allowed Springfield to pull within 66-61 with 9:11 on the clock, only have Emerson use a 7-0 surge in 90 seconds have build their cushion back to 12 points.  Despite trying to extend the game, Springfield got no closer than six points as the visitors held on for an 89-82 victory.   

On Wednesday, Springfield will hit the road for the last time this season as it heads to Clark for a 7 pm contest. 

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