Jan. 12, 2010

Box Score

Boston, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Men's Basketball Team picked up the first win over a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent this season, defeating Suffolk University on the road on Tuesday night. The 2-8 Saints outlasted the 5-6 Rams, 67-65 at the Regan Gymnasium. Both teams now stand at 1-3 in GNAC play on the season. The Saints managed to overcome a 13-point deficit in the game's final nine minutes and came away with the 2-point win. Junior guard Tony Carter-Hill (Baltimore, Md.) hit a crucial three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to push the Saints past the Rams.

Emmanuel's sophomore guard Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) led all scorers with 18 points in the game, while classmate Andre Fuller (Troy, N.Y.) finished just one board shy of a double-double with 13 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out.

The Rams had three players finish in double-digits. Freshman Colin Halpin (Melrose, Mass.) came away with a team-high 16 points along with three blocked shots. Sophomore Mike Gibbons (Ringwood, N.J.) put up 15 points, while junior Mike Fleming (Exeter, N.H.) had 11 points. Freshman Matt Pepdjonovic posted 20 rebounds, including 13 defensive boards to go along with his 8 points on the evening.

The game started off slow, as both teams struggled from the field. Emmanuel shot just 20 percent from the floor in the first half and the Saints were outscored, 31-20, in the opening frame. The visitors managed to improve offensively in the second stanza, shooting 46 percent from the floor and outscoring the Rams, 47-37.

The game went back and forth in the final six minutes, as the Saints were able to chip away at the Ram's lead. Emmanuel tied the game with 5:48 to go, when Duke hit a pair of free throws to even things up at 54-all. The Saints stretched their lead to as many as four points, before the Rams evened things back up within the final minute. The tying buckets came via a pair of free throws from Halpin and the contest was knotted at 60-60.

After Carter-Hill's long-range dagger, Emmanuel was able to seal the victory as freshman Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) hit all four free throws down the stretch. Suffolk had a couple chances to tie things up in the waning moments, but the Rams were able to convert from the line and fell short of another dramatic ending.

Both teams will play GNAC games on Thursday evening. Emmanuel will host the Raiders of Rivier College at 7:00pm in the Jean Yawkey Center. The Rams host the Cadets of Norwich University at 7:30pm at the Regan Gymnasium.

Courtesy of Suffolk University Sports Information