Jan. 11, 2011

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Women's Basketball Team cruised to an 85-55 win over Lasell College in the Saints' Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener on Tuesday night in the Jean Yawkey Center. Emmanuel had four players score in double figures as the Saints improved to 5-6 overall and 1-0 in the GNAC with the win. Lasell dropped to 1-11 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.

Freshman Kayla Vincelette (Westport, Mass.) and junior JoAnna Bishop (So. Burlington, Vt.) drained two three-pointers early for the visitors, while Emmanuel junior Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass.) gave the Saints their first six points of the contest. Sophomore Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) added a jumper for the Saints, but Vincelette added another trey moments later to give the Lasers a 9-8 lead.

Emmanuel found its footing not long afterwards as sophomore Chenae Earle (South Orange, N.J.) added two points and junior Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) drained a three to help the hosts climb to a 19-11 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the half. Vincelette, this week's GNAC Rookie of the Week, kept the Lasers in the contest, scoring 10 of the Lasers' first 15 points. Junior Jasmine Jean-Jacques (Jamaica, N.Y.) showed strong play by switching under the basket and grabbing a layup to give the Saints a 23-17 lead.

Senior Katie Farr (Rindge, N.H.) made a key drive to the basket with the shot clock expiring and sunk a layup for the Lasers, but Kirwan knocked down another two to give Emmanuel a 31-20 edge with just under six minutes left in the half. Kirwan then threw a nice pass in transition, finding O'Dwyer on the break to add two more to the Saints' cause.

The Saints continued to show calm passing and strong play in the paint with Ockimey connecting on an and-one. Kirwan again showed her long-range vision by finding a streaking Liz Daley (Sharon, Mass.) for an easy two and a 38-22 Emmanuel lead.

Sophomore Laura Benvenuto (Wyckoff, N.J.) showed a defensive side to Emmanuel with a strong block on Vincelette, which led to another bucket by Jean-Jacques. The Saints would hold on to the edge and take a 44-24 lead into halftime.

Kirwan led all scorers with 14 points in the opening frame with Vincelette adding 12 for the Lasers. Emmanuel held a strong advantage in points in the paint, holding a 34-4 edge against Lasell, while also leading in second-chance points, 12-3. The Saints shot 52.5% (21-40) from the field in the first half, while the Lasers went 7-22.

Senior Casey Shevlin (Medford, N.Y.) opened the second half with a three-pointer and O'Dwyer followed with a bucket as the Lasers called their first timeout of the half. With that basket, the Saints extended their lead to 30 points. Ockimey continued to add to the Saints' lead with a three from the right side, but the Lasers responded with a trey of their own coming from Farr at the opposite end.

Freshman Darcey Sullivan (Dalton, Mass.) entered the game and dropped four quick points, while Daley netted another layup off a smart bounce pass by Earle to bring the spread to 76-39, Saints. Another Daley layup in transition gave the Saints a 41-point edge with an 80-39 lead in the contest.

Junior Kara Hinthorne (Rockland, Mass.) drained a three-pointer for the visitors and followed that one up with another from the same spot beyond the arc for a quick, six-point swing. Not long after, Hinthorne knocked down a third trey for Lasell but an Emmanuel three-ball by Sullivan stretched the Saints' lead to 83-53. The Saints held on to the 30-point edge and finished the contest with an 85-55 win.

O'Dwyer led all scorers with 16 points on the night, hitting 8 of her 12 attempts from the floor. Kirwan netted 14 points, dished out 5 assists and grabbed 4 boards in just 21 minutes of action. Daley finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 9 rebounds. Ockimey chipped in with 11 points on 4 for 6 shooting.

For the Lasers, Vincelette and Farr notched 14 points apiece, while Slattery added 10 points and Bishop finished with 9. Farr also dished out a game-high 6 assists in a 40-minute effort.

Emmanuel will host cross-town foe Suffolk University on Saturday afternoon (1/15) in a GNAC battle, slated to begin at 1pm. Lasell returns to action on Thursday night (1/13), playing at Simmons College in a 7pm start.