DANBURY, Conn. - Senior forward Jourdan Belcher (Elmsford, N.Y.) tallied a team-high 19 points but it wasn't enough as the Western Connecticut State University men's basketball team dropped a wild season-opening matchup, 89-83, to visiting non-conference opponent Emerson College on Saturday evening at Feldman Arena. 

The hosts got off to a sluggish start and trailed by 18 points midway through the first half before storming back. Belcher converted a layup off a feed from classmate guard Keeshawn Jones (Middletown, N.Y.) for the last bucket of the session, trimming the advantage to 45-41 at halftime. 

WestConn captured a 48-47 lead early in the second stanza when Belcher drained a trifecta. They continued the frenzy to widen the gap to 55-47 when junior guard Tayejon Lynch (Cambria Heights, N.Y.) scurried down the lane for a twine tingler. The Wolves led 74-69 with just over four minutes to play when the Lions roared back. Sophomore guard Guillermo Gasset Ruiz (Malaga, Spain) nailed a bucket in the paint as the visitors regained a 76-75 lead. WestConn would not get any closer as Emerson would cruise to the win. 

With the loss, WestConn moved to 0-1 overall while the Lions went to 1-0. The Wolves will look to pierce the win column when they head to Manhattanville College for a non-league matchup on Tuesday.