Boston, MA --- The #12 WPI men's basketball team saw its eight-game win streak come to the end, as Emerson used a lights-out shooting performance in the second half to earn a 71-66 victory at Plofker Gym on Wednesday night. The Lions (12-8, 7-2) handed the Engineers (16-3, 8-1) their first NEWMAC loss of the season. 

Emerson trailed by two at halftime but had a monster second half that saw the Lions shoot a massive 76.2% (16-21) from the field and 66.7% (4-6) from three to take over the game. WPI was just 1-of-10 (10%) from long range in the final 20 minutes and were edged on the glass by Emerson, 14-10, in the half. 

The Lions' Max Davis (Oakland, CA) led all players with 31 points, connecting on 12-of-17 from the field. Jarred Houston (Norwood, MA) notched a double-double with 14 points and a game-best 16 rebounds, while Nate Martin (Washington, DC) chipped in with 10 points and eight assists. James Beckwith (Palo Alto, CA) rounded out the Emerson box score with eight points and even rebounds. 

For WPI, Donovan Sevilla (San Ramon, CA) and John Lowther (Hingham, MA) combined for 41 points, as Sevilla finished with 21 points and five boards, and Lowther added 20 points and six rebounds. John Adams (Douglas, MA) added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Aidan Callahan (Rowley, MA) had eight points and six assists. 

Emerson scored four unanswered points to open the game, parlaying it to an eight-point advantage at 12-4 after six minutes of play. Just over two minutes later, WPI took its first lead of the game, as the Engineers scored 10 unanswered points, including four from Adams, to lead 14-12. 

After Emerson tied the game at 18-18 on free throws from Beckwith, another WPI surge, capped by a Sevilla three, saw the visitors open up a five-point advantage (23-18) with 6:01 on the clock. However, the Lions were able to close the gap down the stretch and trailed by just two, 30-28, at the break. 

WPI pushed the lead to six early in the second half, as Sevilla struck for seven straight points to make it 41-35 with 14:43 remaining. From there, Emerson countered with a 13-4 surge with a Davis jumper giving the hosts a 50-45 advantage with under 10 to play. The Engineers cut the lead to two, but the Lions' offense kept rolling as another run, this one 11-4, gave Emerson its largest lead of the game at 61-52 with 4:08 to play. 

WPI had one last rally in them, making it a two-point game with under two to play, but Emerson outscored the Engineers 8-5 over the final minutes to close out the upset victory. 

For the game, Emerson out-shot WPI 45.3% (24-53) to 36.8% (25-68) and held a 36-29 advantage on the glass. 

Both teams are back in action on Saturday with games in Worcester.  WPI entertains Babson at 3pm in Harrington Auditorium while Emerson ventures to the Heart of the Commonwealth take on host Clark at 1pm.