The Suffolk Rams battled hard and gained a one-point lead with 11:53 remaining in the game after senior Chris Fritch (Torrington, CT) netted two free throws to put the Rams up 50-49. The Lions were too much to handle though, as senior Aaron Young (Bristol, CT) nailed three three-pointers in a seven minute span, putting the Lions up by 17 after his last three-pointer.
The Lions led by as many as 20 points in the second half and received double-digit scoring from three different players in the final half. Junior Graham Stephen(Bedford, MA) led all second half scorers with 13 points after a perfect 3-for-3 from the field. Stephen finished with 23 points and nine rebounds and was among three Lions players to score at least 20 points.
Junior Scott Meier (Chelmsford, MA) paced the Rams first-half offense, scoring seven points in 16 minutes of play. Meier finished the game with 10 points, one of two Suffolk players to finish the game with double-digit scoring. Fritch finished the game with 16 points, including 8-for-10 free-throw shooting.
Suffolk forced 11 second-half turnovers but was unable to convert, as they scored only six points off turnovers in the second half.
The first half was dominated by Emerson and was capped off by a three-point basket at the buzzer by Young to give the Lions a 41-31 lead. Suffolk managed to take a 16-15 lead with 10:15 remaining in the first half on a lay-up by freshman John Murphy (N. Reading, MA), but was not able to hold on as Emerson junior Daniel Zinchuk (Bethel, ME) answered with a lay-up of his own to bring the score to 17-16.
Emerson went on an 8-0 run to end the first half to give the Lions a 10-point lead and propel them into the second half.
Suffolk finishes the season 13-13 overall, while Emersonwill continue on to the GNAC semifinals on February 26.