Jan. 27, 2009

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Men's Basketball Team edged the visiting Mustangs of Mount Ida College, 73-71, on Tuesday night in the Jean Yawkey Center. The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) battle went down to the wire, as the Saints hit free throws and grabbed some huge rebounds down the stretch to seal the win. Mount Ida's leading scorer Matt Bennett (Rochester, N.H.) front rimmed a three-pointer at the buzzer and Emmanuel snuck away with the two-point victory. With the win, the Saints even their record at 8-8 overall and improve to 5-4 in the GNAC. The Mustangs dropped to 7-8 on the season and 1-7 in the league.

Mount Ida opened up the game with a 5-0 run, but the Saints quickly tied it up with a lay-up and a three-ball from sophomore forward Tyrone Buchanan (Detroit, Mich.). Freshman guard Johrone Bunch (Meriden, Conn.) rattled off the first seven points for the Mustangs. The visitors surged ahead by as many as four points (13-9) with 14:20 on the clock. Emmanuel then went on a 13-0 run and held the Mustangs scoreless for the next four minutes to take a 22-13 lead.

Mount Ida slowly began to chip away, connecting on 15 of their 19 free throws (78.9%) in the first half. Sophomore forward Teddy Louis (Malden, Mass.) drained two freebies with no time on the clock to bring the Mustangs to within six points, 39-32, as the teams headed into the locker room.

Buchanan led the Saints in the opening half, hitting four of his five attempts from the floor. However, his three first-half fouls allowed him to play just 9 minutes in the first half. Junior guard Mike Jackson (New York, N.Y.) added 9 first half points, knocking down 4 of 5 from the free throw line. Freshman forward Eric Spanbauer (Niagra Falls, N.Y.) hauled in a team-high five boards in just 8 minutes played in the first half. As a team, Emmanuel shot 45.2% (14-31) from the field in the opening stanza.

The Saints extended their lead to as may as nine points with 12:29 remaining. After nine-straight points from junior guard Dave Santos (Mattapan, Mass.), the Mustangs trailed by just two points, 57-55, with 9:59 to play. Bennett knotted the game at 61-61, when he drove to the basket, made the lay-up, and was fouled with 7:30 on the clock.

The Mustangs' defense held Emmanuel scoreless from 8:28 until senior forward Mack Spellman (Clinton, N.Y.) drilled two free throws at 3:51. During the Saints' dry spell, the visitors went on an 8-0 run and led, 64-61. Mount Ida was up by five (68-63), when J.P. Ventura (Riva, Md.) nailed a tri-fecta for Emmanuel bringing the score to 68-66 with 1:55 to play.

An and-one by Buchanan off an offensive board with 1:11 on the clock brought the Saints to within one point, 70-69. After a miss by Santos and a defensive rebound by Spellman, Buchanan led senior guard Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, Mich.) for a fast-break bucket that put the Saints on top, 71-70, with 56 ticks on the clock.

As Mount Ida began to foul, Jackson and Buchanan both made one of two free throws to give the Saints a 73-70 advantage with just 7 seconds remaining. Emmanuel's Andres Bustamante (Amherst, Mass.) helped to seal the win for the Saints in the final minute. The senior forward blocked a shot with 11 seconds left and grabbed two huge defensive rebounds.

After a made free throw by junior guard Darren Martinez (Mattapan, Mass.), Mount Ida trailed by two, 73-71. The Mustangs had one final look with 2 seconds on the clock. They inbounded to Bennett on the right wing, and the senior launched a long three that rimmed out as time expired and Emmanuel came away with the 73-71 win.

Both teams boasted a balanced scoring attack with eight total players scoring in double figures for the game. Buchanan and Williams-Hinton led the Saints with 17 points apiece. Buchanan was near perfect, hitting 7 of his 8 attempts from the floor, while Williams-Hinton dished out a game-high 6 assists. Jackson added 15 points and 4 steals for the victors. Spellman chipped in with 10 points, while Spanbauer gathered a game-high 9 boards in the win.

Santos led the Mustangs with 17 points, scoring 11 after the intermission. Bunch hit for 14 points, while Bennett notched 13 points. Martinez chipped in with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in a solid 34-minute effort.

The Saints will play at home again on Thursday, when they play host to the Lions of Emerson College in a 7pm tip. Mount Ida will plat at home against Suffolk University on Thursday at 6pm.