NEWTON, Mass. – Freshman Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas) scored a season-high 18 points, and Mount Ida shot 10-19 (52.6%) from the three-point line, but could not complete a comeback effort over visiting Emerson College, falling 74-63 in non-conference men's basketball action on Monday evening at Mount Ida Athletic Center.
Emerson junior Ryan Clinesmith (New York, N.Y.) had 25 points and 14 rebounds, one of two Lions with a double-double, and was a big part of why the visitors held a 51-25 advantage in rebounding.
The Mustangs (1-7) trailed by 15 points with 16:39 to play in the second half, and cut the deficit to just four points with under five minutes to play on a tip-in by Errald Jordine (Stamford, Conn.), who had 13 points and team-high 9 rebounds.
Two straight layups, by Michael Thorpe (Newton, Mass.) and Eli Kell-Abrams (Berkeley, Calif.), and a pair of free-throws by Brian Hurley (South Boston, Mass.), who had 13 points and 13 rebounds, gave the Lions a double-digit lead again.
Clark and Jordine each made three-pointers in the final 1:56, but the Lions, who had made just 3-11 free throws in the first half, shot 12-15 from the line in the final 20 minutes, and made eight straight to close out the victory.
Mount Ida freshman point guard Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) scored 9 of his 15 points in the second half, on 3-5 shooting from downtown, and was a big part of Mount Ida's run back into the game.
The visitors wasted no time in taking control of the game early on, grabbing a 12-2 advantage with each of their starters scoring in turn. The lead got to 17-6 before Clark made back to back buckets sandwiching a steal and later added a pair of three-pointers for an 11-point first half.
Clinesmith, who finished the game shooting 10-15 from the floor, poured in 16 in the first half and the visitors went to the break with a 42-30 advantage.
Clinesmith opened the second half with a pair of jumpers and made a free-throw to give the Lions their largest lead of the night at 49-34.
DeFillippi had a game-high three steals and led the Mustangs with four assists, while freshman Patrick McKearney (Avon, Conn.) had three blocks and seven rebounds to go with his five points.
Kell-Abrams dished out a game-high 7 assists to pair with eight points and six boards, while Tyson Hallowell (Lincoln, Mass.) scored 11 points in the win for Emerson.
Mount Ida will enjoy an extended break over the New Year before returning to action on January 3rd when they head to Wheelock for a 1:00 pm start.
Emerson's next game is against the Wildcats as well, but in just two days' time, as they will close out their 2014 schedule on Wednesday at 7:00 pm at home.