Worcester, MA --- Emerson used a 16-0 run in the first half and never trailed thereafter, holding on for a thrilling 71-67 win to deliver No. 3 WPI its first NEWMAC loss and interrupt a 15-game winning streak.
Emerson had previously scored an upset over then No. 1-ranked Amherst College at home on Dec. 7, but the Lions' win over the NEWMAC-leading Engineers was their biggest in-conference win of the season. The victory also finished a four-game stretch against the top four teams in the NEWMAC, after falling in competitive games against MIT, Springfield and Babson.
Sophomore guard Michael Thorpe (Newton, MA) and senior captain Jon Goldberg (Stowe, VT) both had double-doubles. Thorpe made three free throws after the Engineers' Zach Karalis(North Andover, MA) drew it to 67-65 with 1:25 to go. Domenick Mastascusa (North Reading, MA) later scored off an inbound with 4 seconds left, but Goldberg hit two more foul shots to set the final score.
Goldberg totaled up 16 points and 15 rebounds after receiving a bloody nose in the first half, while Thorpe, a guard, had 17 points and 10 boards. Tyson Hallowell (Lincoln, MA) led Emerson with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Sam Longwell (Acton, MA) topped all players with 21 points, hitting four 3-pointers and also collecting six rebounds over a game-high 37 minutes for WPI (18-2, 8-1 NEWMAC). Mastascusa (16 points) was the Engineers' only other double-digit scorer as the two combined for 22 first half points.
Five straight points from Mastascusa made it 7-1 WPI just 2:21 into the contest, but the Lions (11-9, 4-5) came roaring back into it.
Ryan Kolb (Southington, CT) hit a jumper to send WPI to an 11-9 lead 5:25 in, but the hosts wouldn't until a Longwell free throw with 8:05 left in half.
In the meantime, Emerson scored 16 straight points with seven of the first nine coming from Goldberg on a combination of layups and free throws.
Brian Hurley (South Boston, MA) capped the Lions' run to make it 25-11 before Longwell's foul shot. But it didn't end there as a Hallowell 3-pointer and then a jumper to make it 30-12 Emerson with 7:05 left in half.
That was the biggest margin Emerson would lead be the entire night as WPI strung together a big run of its own, scoring 12 straight points over the next five minutes. Kolb starting the WPI rally with a layup, followed by five straight points via Longwell, and another layup from freshman Marcus Middleton (Stoughton, MA). Longwell drew it back to 30-24, draining a 3-pointer with 2:15 left in the half.
The Engineers also had the final six points of the first half, cutting into a 10-point Emerson lead with a Longwell 3-pointer and an old-fashioned 3-point play by Mastascusa over the final 59 seconds to draw it back close, 34-30, at the half.
The Lions stretched the lead back to 10 on a Hurley basket in close to stretch it to 42-32 less than five minutes out of the break.
Aaron Davis (Marshfield, MA) struck from beyond the arc to pull it back to 46-43 with 12:52 remaining and two minutes later Ian Converse (Woodstock, CT) struck for the final two of his five second half points to make it 50-48 Emerson.
Four free throws by Jacob Forchheimer (Avon, CT) and Kyle Edwards (Potomac, NJ) put the visitors back in control.
The Lions upped their lead to 10 with 3:59 remaining as consecutive hoops by Hallowell supplied Emerson with a 67-57 lead going into crunch time
Kolb finished with nine points and seven rebounds, while Davis totaled up six points, five assists and three steals.
The loss snapped a 27-game winning streak for WPI at Harrington Auditorium.
WPI will resume at 2pm Saturday on the road against Babson, one of only two other NEWMAC teams receiving votes in the D3hoops.com poll, along with Springfield. Meanwhile, Emerson moves on to entertain Clark at 2pm Saturday.
Release by Carl Setterlund - WPI Athletics Intern - Emerson '14