BOSTON, Mass. - The visiting Western Connecticut State University Wolves almost came all the way back from a double-digit deficit at halftime, but fell just short in a 71-67 setback against the Emerson College Lions in men's basketball action this evening at Brown & Plofker Gymnasium.  WestConn falls to 2-1 and the Lions even their season mark at 1-1.  The Wolves will visit Skidmore next on Wednesday, November 18 at 7 p.m.  Sophomore center Marcel Henry (Yonkers, N.Y.) paced WestConn offensively with 19 points.

WestConn trailed, 38-27, at halftime but went on an 11-2 run and cut its deficit to 40-38 after three consecutive free throws by junior Jaysean Morgan (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) 2:40 into the second frame.  Emerson kept its advantage and led, 66-57, at the 3:39 mark thanks to a layup by Jacob Armant.  Henry made a jumper and  a dunk to ignite a 10-3 Wolves spurt that closed the gap at 69-67 after a three-pointer by sophomore guard Armaan Sandhu (Victoria, British Columbia) with 38 seconds on the clock.  Linus Helmhold made two free throws to push the Lions' lead to four moments later and the home team held on.

In the first half, Henry scored four early points to give the Wolves a 7-6 lead 7:09 into the game.  Armant and Brendan Taylor made back-to-back three-pointers to give the lead back to Emerson, and the Lions built their lead up to eleven as the teams headed to the locker rooms.  WestConn fell victim to hot shooting, as the Lions shot 49.1 percent from the field and made 12 of 23 shots from long range.  WestConn made four treys in 20 attempts and were outrebounded, 45-37.  Emerson missed 10 of 17 free throws and turned the ball over 21 times.  Jaysean Morgan scored 14 points off the Wolves bench and senior Tayejon Lynch (Cambria Heights, N.Y.) added seven points, nine boards, and three assists.  Armant topped Emerson in scoring with 18 points.