Jan. 13, 2011

Box Score

With just eight players dressed for their game against Rivier College on Thursday evening, the Emmanuel College men's basketball team pulled together and earned a key, 73-68 victory over the conference foe. The win is the Saints' second in a row and improves their record to 4-7 on the year.

The Raiders shot just 37% from the floor including making just 10 of 31 shots from the 3-point line, but the numbers that stick out the most in a five point loss was the 14 missed free throws, including six by senior Don Poitras (Bow, NH), who was just 4 for 10 from the line.

The Saints made all the shots when it counted. Down 35-30 at the half, they opened the second half on a 12-1 run, capped off by a Theo Robinson (Springfield, MA) lay-up, that gave Emmanuel a 42-36 lead. In that span the Raiders went 0-7 from the floor, including a missed dunk and a missed lay-up, and went 1-4 from the free throw line. The Raiders quickly rebounded and retook the lead less than 5 minutes later after back to back 3-pointers by senior Nick Bean (E. Longmeadow, MA) and junior Joe Granato (Arlington, MA) to make the score 44-42.

A jumper by Emmanuel's Xavier Everson (Rochester, NY) tied the game at 44 and a back and forth battle ensued until the game clock got below 10 minutes. The shooting went cold again for the Raiders as Emmanuel went on a 14-5 run that gave the Saints a 65-56 lead at the 2:37 mark. Down the stretch, all the Raiders could do was foul, but the Saints made five of six in the last 45 seconds to seal the win.

The Saints showed determination in the second half when junior Andre Fuller (Troy, N.Y.) fouled out with 12 minutes left in the contest and Robinson picked up his fifth foul with roughly eight minutes remaining. Emmanuel was left with only six players in uniform as time expired.

Bean led all scorers, dropping 24 points for the Raiders including a last second 3-pointer to move the Raiders to within five points to end the game. Bean went just 6 for 15 from the 3-point arc and didn't get to the free throw line all night. Sophomore Cliff Celestin (Braintree, MA) and senior Don Poitras both contributed with 12 points. Celestin was the other 3-point threat on the night, knocking down three of six from deep.

Brandon Jones (Windsor, CT) led the Saints offense, scoring 17 points off the bench. Jones got to the free throw line a team high 10 times, knocking down 7 of his attempts. Tyrone Buchanan (Detroit, MI) was just behind with 16 points, going 7 for 13 from the field and 2 for 3 from the 3-point line. Jones, a 5'10 guard, and Buchanan, a 6'4 senior, also grabbed 9 rebounds each, just missing the double-double. D.J. Fazio (Methuen, MA) and Michael Mailhot (Norwich, CT) both reached double digits in points, scoring 13 and 11 respectively. Freshman Theo Robinson (Springfield, MA) led all players with 10 rebounds for the Saints.

The Raiders will travel to New Haven, CT on Saturday to take on GNAC leading Albertus Magnus College at 1:00 PM. The Saints will host GNAC foe Emerson College on the same day at 3:00 PM.

-Courtesy of Rivier Athletics