Dec. 6, 2008

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - The visiting Raiders of Rivier College came away with an 81-77 win over the host Emmanuel Saints in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) home opener for Emmanuel. The Raiders got the best of the Saints in a battle, which featured six lead changes and four ties. With the loss, Emmanuel drops to 2-3 on the season and 0-1 in the GNAC, while Riv climbs to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

After two quick lead changes early on, the Saints took hold of the lead at the fourteen minute mark on a layup by junior guard Mike Jackson (New York, N.Y.), and Emmanuel held the advantage until the first half expired. Both teams netted 14 first-half field goals, but the Saints took the edge from the free throw line in the first 20 minutes. Despite shooting 46.7% (23-54) in the opening half, the Raiders entered halftime trailing by two, 41-39.

With fifteen minutes to play and the score tied at 50-50, Rivier went on a 14 to 4 run that spanned seven and a half minutes. Senior point guard Lance Bisson (Nashua, N.H.) put the Raiders up by 10 points (64-54), their largest lead of the game, on a layup assisted by Nick Bean (East Longmeadow, Mass.) with 7:30 remaining.

The Saints crept back over the next four minutes and tied the game, 66-66, with 3:31 to go. Emmanuel's 12-2 run was paced by senior forward Mack Spellman (Clinton, N.Y.), who scored 7 of Emmanuel's points during the charge. Rivier quickly surged back to a six-point edge, going 6-6 from the line, and bringing the score to 72-66 with 1:14 to play. After an offensive rebound and a put-back by Spellman, the Saints trailed by four (72-68) with 1:00 remaining.

Over the next 60 tics, several Emmanuel fouls gave way to Rivier hoops. During the final minute, Bisson went 7 for 8 from the line. Rivier's Joe Granato (Arlington, Mass.) also drained two from the line during the stretch, giving the Raiders 9 points, all from the free throw line, during the final minute.

Despite a solid late-game effort from senior guard Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, Mich.), the Saints could not get it done down the stretch. William-Hinton scored 7 of his 15 points, hitting two free throws, a mid-range jumper, and a three-ball, in the waning moment of the game. The Saints trailed by six and a last second layup by Spellman cut the deficit to four (81-77) and sealed the win for Rivier.

Emmanuel out-rebounded Rivier, 49-40, for the game. The Saints' defense forced 24 Rivier turnovers and Emmanuel was able to score 24 points off the Raider errors. The Saints shot just 36.5% for the game, compared to 42.6% shooting for the Raiders. Emmanuel committed 29 fouls in the game, sending the Raiders to the line 39 times. The Raiders netted 30 of 39 (76.9%) attempts from the stripe, while Emmanuel hit just 20 of their 31 (64.5%) free throw attempts.

Rivier's Bisson led all scorers with 26 points, six rebounds, and a game-high 6 assists. Bisson scored 16 of his 26 points from the line, shooting 16-21 in foul shots. Senior guard Kevin Harrington (Center Ossipee, N.H.) hit for 17 points, including hitting four of seven tri-fectas. Sophomore center D.J. Poitras (Bow, N.H.) chipped in with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and a game-high 7 blocks, completing a tri of double-figure scorers for the Raiders

Emmanuel was led by Spellman's double-double with points on 8 for 16 shooting and 11 rebounds. Williams-Hinton netted 15 points to go along with his 7 steals and 4 assists. Sophomore forward Chris Puzacke (Torrington, Conn.) gave Emmanuel solid minutes off the bench, scoring 14 points on 5 for 10 shooting and grabbing 8 boards in just 17 minutes of play.

Emmanuel is back in action on Tuesday night (12/9), when the Saints host the Jeffs of Amherst College in a 7pm start. Rivier will play on Saturday and Sunday (12/13 & 12/14) at Bard in an Invitational Tournament.