Dec. 13, 2008

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - Despite hitting only three of seven free throws in the second overtime period, Emerson College (5-3, 2-0 Great Northeast Athletic Conference) held on to outlast Emmanuel College (2-5, 0-2 GNAC), 96-93, in double overtime men's basketball action from Piano Row Gymnasium.

The game was close throughout, featuring 25 lead changes and 14 ties. Emerson led at the half 41-39 on a three point shot by freshman guard Dan Boylan (Royal Oak, Mich.) with 19 seconds remaining. Each team shot well in the opening stanza with Emmanuel hitting at a 63% clip from the field and Emerson shooting .591. Six Emerson three-point shots, including a 3-5 performance from behind the arc by Tom Messinger (Florence, Mass.), kept the Lions in the game. Messinger led all first half scorers with 17 points.

Emmanuel crept to a four point lead with 11:46 remaining in the second half when senior guard Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, Mich.) made a layup to put the Saints up 58-54. Emerson responded with a 10-0 run including another Messinger three-ball, and a layup by junior forward Bryan Rouse (East Greenwich, R.I.). The Lions' six-point lead was the largest of the half for either team.

A layup by the Saints' sophomore forward Tyrone Buchman (Detroit, Mich.) gave Emmanuel the lead back at 67-66 with just under five minutes to play. The teams traded free throws before a Drew Venter (Boston, Mass.) layup gave Emerson a 71-69 lead with 3:37 to play. Emmanuel's senior forward Andres Bustamante (Amherst, Mass.) hit a foul shot, followed by two free throws by Emerson's Jeremy Shannon (Lowell, Mass.), which gave the Lions a 73-71 edge.

A Shannon jumper at 2:46 was followed by a layup by Emmanuel freshman Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.). Junior point guard Mike Jackson (New York, N.Y.) tied the game for Emmanuel with 1:37 remaining in regulation on a drive, but fouled Shannon on the ensuing possession. Shannon hit the back end of two free throws to give Emerson a one-point lead at 76-75.

Shannon returned the favor 63 seconds later and put Williams-Hinton at the line with 47 ticks left. Williams-Hinton missed the first and hit the second to forge the tie. A three point attempt at the end of the half by Messinger couldn't connect and the game was sent into overtime.

Williams-Hinton opened the first overtime with a layup, but Emerson answered on a Shannon layup, followed by a Rouse layup and two free throws from Rouse to gain a 82-78 advantage. A Messinger layup gave Emerson its last points of the period with 2:19 to play. An Emmanuel layup by Duke and a free throw by Jackson with a minute remaining set the stage for a traditional three-point play by Buchanan, which tied the game at 84 with 25 seconds left. A three-point attempt by Shannon and an attempted put back by Rouse as time expired led to the second overtime.

Rouse opened the second overtime with a layup and a free throw. Emmanuel responded on a jumper by Williams-Hinton and a layup by freshman center Eric Spanbauer (Niagara Fal1s, N.Y.) to take an 88-87 lead. Rouse countered with a layup of his own with 3:25 remaining to regain the lead for the Lions. A Duke free throw tied the score at 89, and Shannon responded with a layup. Spanbauer matched that shot to force the last tie of the game at 91-91.

A Messinger three-ball moved the Lions to a 94-91 lead at the 58-second mark. Senior guard Anthony Remias (Cranberry Township, Pa.) made one of two free throws to give Emerson a four point lead. Spanbauer put down a layup to bring Emmanuel within two, but the Saints could get no closer, despite Boylan netting just one of his four foul shots down the stretch.

Messinger led all scorers with a career-high 29 points for Emerson. Messinger hit 10 of 16 shots from the floor and 5 of 11 from long-range. Shannon recorded a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with his team-high 5 assists. Rouse added 22 points and 6 boards for the Lions. Emerson's 42.1% (8-19) shooting from behind the arc was key in the victory.

Williams-Hinton led five Saints in double figures with a season-high 28 points, hitting 12 of 20 shots from the field. Senior forward Mack Spellman (Clinton, N.Y.) notched a double-double for Emmanuel with 10 points and 12 boards, while blocking two shots. Jackson chipped in with 15 points, on 60% shooting, and dished out 5 assists for the visitors.

The Saints shot 49.3% (36-73) from the floor, compared to 44.1% (30-68) shooting by the Lions. Emmanuel managed to out-rebound Emerson by 14 boards (52-38), with 24 of the Saints' rebounds coming on the offensive end. Emmanuel sent Emerson to the line 44 times in the ballgame. The Lions hit just 28 of their 44 chances, but managed to come away with the win.

Each team is now idle until the New Year. Emerson resumes play at Suffolk University on January 10th at 2:00pm. Emmanuel will compete next in the Northwood University Classic in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 2nd and 3rd.