December 1, 2022

MBB: Emerson pulls away late to top Panthers

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University men's basketball team fell to Emerson College, 81-69, in a non-conference game at Foley Gymnasium on Thursday evening.

The Lions shot close to 50%, but PSU hung tough and trailed by just three with six minutes to play. Foul trouble for the Panthers put Emerson on the line multiple times in the closing minutes and the Lions knocked down all ten free throw attempts, which proved to be the difference.

Junior Kyler Bosse (Manchester, N.H.) led all scorers with 24 points, while senior Giorgi Tsiklauri (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied 16 points of his own. Junior Kevin Henry (Stratham, N.H.) had another efficient night, adding ten points on 5-of-7 shooting in the setback.

Plymouth State has its six-game winning streak snapped to move to 6-2, while Emerson improves to 3-3.

The Basics:

• Plymouth State 69, Emerson 81
  • Plymouth State (6-2)
  • Emerson (3-3)

Top Performers:

• Kyler Bosse (24 pts, 11-26 fg, 4 reb, 4 ast)
• Giorgi Tsiklauri (16 pts, 6-16 fg, 3 reb, 4 ast)
• Kevin Henry (10 pts, 5-7 fg)

How it Happened:

• PSU scored the first six points of the contest over the opening two minutes.
• The Panthers extended the lead to eight, 21-13, with 12:26 on the clock in the first.
• Emerson erupted for 11 straight points to take the lead, 24-21, with 9:34 left until halftime.
• Plymouth State regained the lead, 32-31, at the five-minute mark.
• The teams traded buckets to close out the first as the game was knotted 39-39 at the half.
• Both teams came out with high energy to start the second and the score remained tied at 57-57 midway through the second half.
• The Lions used an 8-2 run to go up 65-59 with 6:14 left on the clock.
• Plymouth State was able to get no closer than three points the rest of the way as Emerson's hot shooting from the floor and free throw line sealed the win.

By the Numbers:

• The Panthers went 28-of-68 (41.2%) from the floor and 7-of-23 (30.4%) from three.
• Plymouth State was outrebounded by a narrow 38-32 margin but held a 12-8 edge on the offensive glass.
• There were six ties and nine lead changes in the game.
• Plymouth State took great care of the ball, giving away only six turnovers while forcing the Lions into 12.
• Emerson went 17-of-18 from the charity stripe, with ten attempts coming in the final three minutes.
• PSU held a 28-14 advantage in points in the paint.
• This was just the second meeting between the two teams, with Emerson squeaking out a three-point win at home a year ago.

Up Next:

• Plymouth State kicks off the Little East Conference (LEC) schedule on Saturday when the Panthers host WestConn at 3:00 p.m.

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