Jan. 30, 2010

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Men's Basketball Team ended a six-game skid with an exciting 87-79 overtime win over the visiting Lasers of Lasell College on Saturday afternoon. The back-and-forth game featured 8 lead changes and 7 ties before the Saints pulled out the eight-point win in an extended frame. All of the coaches from both teams wore sneakers and the officials adorned pink whistles as this Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) match-up was part of the Men's Basketball Coaches vs. Cancer Week.

Emmanuel began the game with an and-one by Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) just 15 seconds into the contest, which put the Saints up 3-0. Consecutive lay-ups by Armani Gill (Boston, Mass.) Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) gave the Saints a 7-0 cushion. Emmanuel's defense held the Lasers scoreless for the opening three and a half minutes of play. Lasell's first points came on a baseline jumper by Sean Joynes (Philadelphia, Pa.). Hoops in the paint by Nate Jackson (Middleboro, Mass.) and Andre Fuller (Troy, N.Y.) extended the Saints' lead to 11-2 and forced a Lasell timeout early in the first half.

Out of the timeout, a bucket and the foul by Jackson gave the Saints a 12-point lead at 14-2. Lasell then went four for four from the line over the next minute and cut the deficit to eight points. The two teams traded hoops and the hosts led 20-11 at the ten-minute mark.

The Saints found themselves up 29-22 after a put-back by Jackson at the five-minute mark. An and-one runner in the lane by Aaron Bray (Boston, Mass.) cut the Emmanuel lead to 31-28 with two and a half minutes left in the half. After the Saints led for the entire half, a Laser fast-break lay-up by Javon Williams (Mattapan, Mass.) tied the contest at the end of the frame and the two teams entered the locker rooms knotted at 34-all.

The Saints shot poorly from the line in the first half, hitting just 4 of their 4 attempts (28.6%). The Saints out-rebounded the Lasers, 29-23 and scored 12 second-chance points. Jackson led Emmanuel at the break with 8 points and 4 rebounds, while Williams led Lasell with 12 points and 2 assists.

Everson scored on Emmanuel's first possession after the break and Lasell's Dominik Orlow (Slupsk, Poland) matched it with a hoop of his own and the game was tied again at 36-36. Buckets by Everson and Duke and two hoops from Jackson were part of an 8-0 Emmanuel-run as the Saints went up, 44-36, and forced a Lasell timeout with 15:43 left to play.

The Lasers began to chip away and a put-back by Deshawn Dell (Boston, Mass.) tied the game again (46-46) with 13 minutes to go. Williams gave the Lasers their first lead of the game on a fast-break hoop at the ten-minute mark to go up 52-51. Another Williams slashing basket gave Lasell its largest lead of the game at 54-51 and forced an Emmanuel timeout.

Out of the timeout, a trey by Saints freshman Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) brought the contest to its third tie (54-54). Another Emmanuel triple from classmate Patrick Ramsey (Easthampton, Mass.) put EC up again at 57-56 with eight minutes remaining. The lead then changed hands 7 times over the next 5 minutes, before Lasell took a 68-67 edge on a pair of freebies by Williams with 2:30 to go.

A hoop by Duke was matched with a hoop by Williams and the Lasers led 71-69 with one minute left. The Saints couldn't score on their final full possession and sent Charles Horton (Detroit, Mich.) to the line at the opposite end with a chance to seal the win. Horton hit one of two to go up three points, 72-69, and the Saints called timeout at half-court with 12.1 seconds on the clock.

Duke received a hand-off from Eric Spanbauer (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), curling off a high screen, and hit a deep back-board three from the top of the key to tie the game at 72-all with just seconds remaining. Lasell called a timeout with 4.2 ticks on the clock and a chance for the win, but Bray stepped on the sideline on the Lasers' inbounds play and turned the ball back over to the Saints. Emmanuel was unsuccessful on its final chance and the game went into overtime, locked at 72-all.

Both teams played without one of their big men in overtime, as Spanbauer fouled out for Emmanuel and Dell had fouled out for the Lasers. Mailhot drained his second three-ball of the night early in the overtime and EC led, 75-73. A tri-fecta by Everson on the Saints' next possession stretched the Emmanuel lead to five (78-73)

Big free throws by Williams with a minute and a half to play brought the score to 80-77, in favor of Emmanuel. Back-to-back hoops by Duke and Everson gave Emmanuel an 84-77 advantage before Horton was fouled with 35 seconds to play. Horton dropped both to cut it to 84-79, but Lasell would come no closer. Mailhot and Duke hit 3 of 4 from the line down the stretch for the Saints and Emmanuel came away with the 87-79 overtime win.

Duke led the way for Emmanuel, recording a double-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Everson kicked in 17 points on 8 for 15 shooting, to go along with 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals. Jackson finished with a season-high 14 points (6 for 8 FG) and 8 rebounds, while Ramsey chipped in with 10 points on 4 for 8 shooting.

Williams led all scorers with 28 points for Lasell. The sophomore forward also collected a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out 3 assists in a solid 44-minute effort. Rookie guard Justin Harris (New Orleans, La.) added 11 points and 7 boards, while Dell pitched in with 9 points and 10 rebounds for the Lasers.

Emmanuel will return to action in just two days. The Saints take on the Monks of Saint Joseph's College next. Emmanuel will host the Monks in a 7pm start this Monday night (2/1).