Men's Basketball vs. Emerson
Wednesday, January 5 | 7:00 p.m.
Staake Gymnasium | Babson Park, Mass.
SERIES HISTORY
• Babson is 27-3 all-time against Emerson in a series that dates back to 1951-52.
• The Beavers have won the last three meetings over the Lions since Emerson knocked off Babson, 86-83, on January 23, 2019, snapping a 12-game losing skid.
• The two teams did not play each other last season due to the pandemic.
LAST MEETING
• Jack Coolahan '20 registered his first career double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 22 Babson defeat Emerson, 92-77, on February 19, 2020, inside Emerson's Brown-Plofker Gymnasium.
• Senior Colin Bradanese scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting, while junior Andrew Kirkpatrick added 13 points and three assists for the Beavers. Andrew Jaworski '21 chipped in with 11 points, eight boards, three assists and two steals in the win.
• Senior Zach Waterhouse scored 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting and led all players with six assists for the Lions. Classmate Jarred Houston contributed 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting along with seven rebounds and five blocks, while Jack O'Connor '20 and senior Nate Martin added 13 points apiece.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
• Babson (7-4) is coming off an impressive 70-59 victory over No. 20 Amherst last Friday in Western Massachusetts.
• First-year Nate Amado scored 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds as Babson handed the Mammoths their first loss of the season.
• The Beavers also got 14 points and five rebounds from sophomore Kieran Dorney and 12 points off the bench from graduate student Spencer Cline. Kirkpatrick contributed nine points and first-year Rob Crouch chipped in with eight points off the bench.
• Bradanese leads the Beavers with 15.5 points and ranks second with 7.3 rebounds per outing, shooting 51.7 percent from the field. Amado is enjoying a solid rookie campaign, averaging 12.4 points and leading the squad with 7.4 boards a game.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
• Emerson (7-2) ended the first semester riding a five-game winning streak, capped by a 94-81 victory over Worcester State on December 9.
• Waterhouse finished with 23 points in the win over the Lancers, leading a group of six Lions who scored in double figures. Senior Jarred Houston had a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards, classmate Chad DiCenzo contributed 12 points and seven assists, and senior Nate Martin and juniors Max Davis and James Beckwith tallied 11 points apiece.
• Four Lions are averaging double figures for the season – Houston (18.6 ppg), Waterhouse (16.1), Davis (11.9) and Beckwith (10.1).
• Houston ranks in the top 10 in Division III in rebounds per game (13.2), blocked shots per game (3.1), and double-doubles (7) and is listed 14th in field goal percentage (66.0).
NEWMAC HONORS
• Amado was named NEWMAC Co-Offensive Athlete of the Week on Monday after putting up 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocked shots and two steals in the win over Amherst. He is the third Beaver to earn weekly conference honors this season.
• Bradanese earned the top Offensive and Defensive honors on November 8, and senior Mitchell Kirsch was the defensive honoree on November 29.
• Waterhouse was the NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week for Emerson on December 13, and Houston has been selected Defensive Athlete of the Week three times (Nov. 22, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13).
NEWMAC PREVIEW
• Babson and Emerson were picked to finish second and third, respectively, in the preseason coaches' poll, with Babson receiving two first-place votes.
• WPI, with five first-place votes, was the top pick in the poll, and MIT was fourth with one first-place vote.
HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE
• Babson is 5-1 inside Staake Gymnasium this season, outscoring its opponents by 8.6 points per game (74.8-66.2)
• The Beavers are 10-2 at home since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, and 19-4 since the start of 2019-20.
BY THE NUMBERS
• The Beavers have shot at least 40 percent from the field in eight of their 11 games this season.
• Babson has won 10 of its last 11 since the start of the 2020-21 season when winning the rebounding battle, and is 24-2 with the advantage on the glass since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
A LOOK AHEAD
• Babson is home again on Saturday, hosting Springfield in a conference tilt at 1 p.m. inside Staake Gymnasium.
• The Beavers play five of their first six conference games on home court, but will end up on the road for six of their final eight.
