Jan. 6, 2011

Box Score

Beverly, Mass. - Despite two players in double figures and six three-pointers from the squad, the Emmanuel College Saints dropped their first game of 2011, 80-70 to Endicott College on Thursday night. Junior forward Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) scored a team-high 12 points on 4-of-9 from the field and added a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Duke also grabbed four rebounds and made three steals. Sophomore Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) was the only other Emmanuel player in double digits with 11 points and four rebounds.

The Saints are now 2-6 on the season.

Emmanuel's freshman guard D.J. Fazio (Methuen, Mass.) gave a solid all-around effort before fouling out with eight points, four assists, three steals, two rebounds and a block.

The Gulls controlled the game early in the first half, jumping out to a 16-6 advantage following a Karkow three-pointer. The Saints, however, battled back to trim Endicott's lead down to four at 22-18 with 7:30 remaining after freshman Josh Welles (Philadelphia, Pa.) knocked down a jumper. The Blue and Green finished off the half with a 15-6 run capped off by a layup with no time remaining by Lewis to take a 37-24 lead at the break.

The second half featured a high-octane offensive back-and-forth with both teams, as the Saints outscored the Gulls 46-43. On several occasions, Emmanuel was able to trim Endicott's lead into single digits but the home team maintained a strong edge before ending the game with a 10-point, 80-70 victory.

Off the bench, Endicott's Erik Callo (Southington, Conn.) increased his team-leading block total to 20 with four more swats. Emmanuel's Andre Fuller (Troy, N.Y.) also was a force on the defensive end with three blocks of his own.

Sophomore Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) led all Emmanuel scorers off the bench with eight points, while senior Tony Carter-Hill (Baltimore, Md.) and junior Nate Jackson (Middleboro, Mass.) added three rebounds each.

The Gulls converted 23 Emmanuel turnovers into 26 points, outscoring the Saints 26-18 in that category. Endicott also controlled the points in the paint with a 38-28 advantage. Emmanuel, however, got more production from their bench with a slim 23-19 advantage.

The Blue and Green will open up their TCCC regular season schedule on Saturday, January 8th as the Gulls host Eastern Nazarene College at 3:00 pm. Emmanuel returns to their GNAC schedule with a 3:00 pm showdown with Saint Joseph's College (ME) on Saturday in Boston.

-Courtesy of Endicott College Athletics