NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team could not keep visiting Emerson College from pulling away in the second half of an 81-72 loss this evening in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest at Emerson Gymnasium on the campus of Wheaton in Norton, Mass. The Lyons fall to 5-10 overall and 0-4 in NEWMAC play, while the Lions win their second straight and third of their last four to improve to 10-4 and 3-2.

Emerson shot 45.3% (29-64) from the floor, while holding Wheaton to 37.9% (22-58). The Lions also maintained a 44-32 rebounding advantage.

Junior forward Aaron Williams (Springfield, Mass.) was one of five Wheaton starters to score double-digits, netting 16 points in addition to grabbing six rebounds, dishing out three assists, making a steal and blocking a shot. Junior guard Marckenley Lima (Roslindale, Mass.) scored 14 points and added five assists and two rebounds. First year forward Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds to go with two assists, a steal and a block. 

Senior center Jarred Houston (Norwood, Mass.) poured in a career-high 28 points and ripped down 20 rebounds to lead Emerson. He was 12-14 from the floor and added three assists, four blocks and an assist to his career night for the visitors. His 20 rebounds marks the fourth time this season he has pulled down 20 or more boards in a game. Senior guard Zach Waterhouse (Hampton, N.H.) contributed with 15 points, two rebounds and an assist, while junior guard Max Davis (Oakland, Calif.) chipped in with 10 points, three rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes off the bench. Junior guard James Beckwith (Palo Alto, Calif.) led all playmakers with seven assists and also scored nine points.

Junior guard Alex Carlisle (Saint Johnsbury, Vt.) buried a three-pointer to cap a 19-7 run and give the Lyons their only lead of the second half at 52-51 with 10:30 to play in the stanza. Thaher aided the stretch with seven points. Waterhouse wasted no time in responding for the visitors, canning a trifecta of his own on the Lions' next possession to reclaim the lead for good and ignite a 22-7 stretch over the next seven minutes for Emerson. Houston made one of two free throws for one of his 12 points during the stretch to give the Lions their largest lead at 73-59 with 3:45 remaining in the game. 

Wheaton got no closer than within 79-72 after a three-pointer from first year guard Ty Murphy (Dedham, Mass.) with 15 seconds to go in the contest.

The Lyons took an early 11-3 lead with 16:27 showing in the first half, before Emerson put together a 19-6 stretch over the next seven-plus minutes, including seven from Houston, to take a 22-17 margin with 9:12 to play in the half. Carlisle made a lay-up with 3:53 to go in the opening session to pull Wheaton to within 31-29, but the Lions closed out the half with an 11-2 run to take a 42-31 lead into the intermission. Beckwith fueled the final burst of the half with seven points for the visitors.

Emerson maintained its lead at 44-33 with 19:06 showing in the second half before the Lyons came back with their big run to take a one-point lead.

Wheaton will play again on Saturday, January 22 when it hosts No. 19 Worcester Polytechnic Institute at Emerson Gymnasium for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off, while the Lions head across the river on the same day to take on Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge for a 2:00 p.m. tilt.