CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Emerson College junior Brendan Taylor knocked down four three pointers as part of 16-4 second half run that helped the visiting Lions secure a 78-63 NEWMAC victory over the MIT men's basketball team on Tuesday evening at Rockwell Cage.

Taylor finished with a game-high 22 points for Emerson while MIT junior Merlin Gogolin scored a season-high 21 points and secured 11 rebounds to lead the Engineers. 

THE BASICS:

• Score: Emerson 78, MIT 63 
• Records: Emerson 7-6 overall (3-1 NEWMAC), MIT 5-9 overall (1-4 NEWMAC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• With the score tied at 11-11, Emerson used a 9-2 run to take the lead midway through the first half, as Otto Lussenhop capped the run with a layup at 7:55. 
• MIT countered quickly, as Gogolin scored five straight points to cut the deficit to two, 20-18, at 6:38. 
• Emerson continued to lead for the remainder of the first half, stretching the lead back to nine thanks to an and-one jumper and free throw from Taylor at 3:28. The Lions would eventually take a seven-point advantage, 35-28, into halftime. 
• Parker Spann dropped in a layup and Michael Zhang knocked down a three-pointer as MIT scored on back-to-back possessions to open the second half. Caden Zurek countered with a three for the Lions, but Zhang knocked down another triple as the Engineers moved back within two points, 38-36, at 17:55. 
• Emerson pushed the lead to eight at 12:30 following a Linus Helmhold layup that made the score 49-41.  
• From there, the visitors caught fire from distance, knocking down six three-pointers over the final 12 minutes of play, including Taylor's run of four straight, as part of a 16-4 run that put the game out of reach.
• Emerson's largest lead of the game came with 2:02 left when two free throws from Helmhold put the Lions up by 19 points, 77-58. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Gogolin was an efficient 9-of-16 shooting from the floor. 
• Rome Delgado-Gonzalez added 12 points and five rebounds for MIT.  
• Emerson knocked down 7-of-9 three pointers in the second half and finished the contest 12-of-21 (57.1%) from distance.
• The Lions shot 14-of-26 from the floor in the second half.  
• MIT had a 41-37 rebounding advantage and outscored Emerson in the paint, 34-20. 
• MIT returned home to Rockwell Cage for the first time in 2026 following three consecutive road contests to open the second half of the season. 

UP NEXT:

• The Engineers will travel to Worcester on Saturday, January 17 for a 1:00 PM match-up against No. 24 WPI. 

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