March 1, 2008

Box Score

Boston, MA - The top-seeded Emmanuel Women's Basketball Team upended 2nd-seeded Suffolk University, 70-51, in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Game. This is Emmanuel's second-straight GNAC title and the twelfth in program history. The Saints will now receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Emmanuel's full court and half court pressure defense forced 20 Suffolk turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play. Offensively, the Saints buried six first-half threes, including hitting five in the opening twelve minutes of the game. Emmanuel shot 50% (6-12) from three-point land in the first half.

The Rams opened up the game taking the first lead of the contest on made a jumper by senior guard Katie Castignetti (Braintree, MA). The two teams then exchanged hoops for the next four minutes. With 15:30 to play in the first half, Emmanuel's rookie guard Kristin LeBel (Tolland, CT) came off the bench and knocked down the 1st of her two first-half tri-fectas. LeBel's three-ball gave Emmanuel a 10-9 lead, which the Saints did not relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Suffolk dominated the boards in the opening half, grabbing a 33-18 rebounding advantage. However, Emmanuel committed just 6 turnovers and shot 80% from the line in the opening half. In the final four minutes of the first half, with a five-point lead (30-25), Emmanuel went on a 12-4 run to take a 42-29 lead into the break.

Emmanuel opened the second half with a jumper by senior guard Jade Paez (Bronx, NY), extending the Saints' lead to fifteen points, 44-29. Turnovers continued to plague Suffolk in the second half, as they finished the game with a total of 29 errors. The Saints capitalized, scoring 30 points off the Suffolk turnovers and 16 points off their fast break.

With 15:46 left to play in regulation, the Saints went on a 15-6 run that spanned five minutes, giving an Emmanuel a 61-38 advantage with 10:21 remaining. The Saints held their largest lead of the game, 28 points, after a Jade Paez three-pointer with 9:25 to play. Suffolk rallied late, cutting Emmanuel's lead by nine to finish with the nineteen-point deficit (70-51).

Emmanuel had a balanced offensive attack with four players recording double figures in scoring. The Saints were led by sophomore guard Iman Davis (Toms River, NJ), who netted 18 points, grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds, tallied a game-high 7 steals and dished out 5 assists in the win. Paez hit for 14 points, including 3 three-pointers. LeBel finished with 12 points, knocking down 3 of 4 from long range. Freshman point guard Casey Shevlin (Medford, NY) added 10 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals for the Saints.

For the Rams, junior forward Megan Tracey (Rehoboth, MA) notched a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 boards. Junior guard Emily Duquette (Harrisville, RI) connected on 4 of 7 shots from the floor, adding 10 points in the effort.

After solid performances all week and chipping in with 9 points, 4 boards, and 3 steals in today's championship game, Emmanuel's senior forward Jacque Pannell (Bloomfield, CT) was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Davis and Paez were named to the All-Tournament Team for Emmanuel.

For Suffolk, freshman guard Christie Iwanicki (Newtown, CT) and senior guard Stephanie Morrissey (Abington, MA) were All-Tournament Team picks. Other All-Tournament Team members included Johanna Santosuosso (Salem, NH) from Johnson & Wales University and Ally Daniels (Concord, NH) of Norwich University.

Suffolk University is now 20-8 on the season, while the Saints improved to 22-6. Emmanuel will play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament next Friday (Mar. 7th) at a site to be determined.