Dec. 1, 2011

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - Led by a balanced offensive attack that saw five players in double figures, the Emmanuel College women's basketball team erased a five point halftime deficit to come from behind and defeat Rhode Island College, 81-73, Thursday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center in Boston, Mass. With the victory, the Saints improve to 4-1 on the year while the Anchorwomen, who received 47 votes in the most recent d3hoops.com national poll, fall to 3-2 overall.

Trailing 36-31 at halftime, Emmanuel would make an early surge in the second half to tie the game at 39-39 following a jumper by senior guard Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass.). Rhode Island College countered with a 12-4 run capped by a pair of free throws by senior guard Stephanie Coro (N. Providence, R.I.) to make it 51-43 with 14:05 left to play. The squads exchanged a few baskets and with 11:34 to play, RIC still held a 56-48 advantage.

The Saints would use a full court press to help create some easy transition baskets and over the next four minutes roll off 10 fast break points, tying the score at 61-61 with 7:20 remaining following a pair of free throws by freshman forward Lena Negri (Arlington, Mass.).

Emmanuel would continue to press, forcing several RIC turnovers to help the hosts gain momentum in the contest. With 6:53 remaining, a pair of free throws by senior guard Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) gave EC's its first lead of the half in which they would never relinquish. Over the final six minutes of action, the Saints would convert 12 free throws to seal the 81-73 victory.

In the first half, the Saints jumped ahead to an early 12-9 lead at the 14:11 mark following a layup by Kirwan but the Anchorwomen responded by going on a 19-4 run over the next seven minutes to take a 28-16 advantage with 7:18 remaining in the stanza. RIC would take its largest lead of the half with 5:55 to play after a free throw by senior forward Rachel Riley (Coventry, R.I.) made it a 31-18 contest but Emmanuel rallied, ending the half on a 13-5 spurt to make it a 36-31 game heading into the break.

For the Anchorwomen, senior guard Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I.) led the way with a game-high 27 points, going a perfect 14-14 from the charity stripe. Coro ended the night with 12 points as did junior guard Ashley O'Dell (Lincoln, R.I.).

Ockimey finished the night with a team-high 20 points, going 8-8 from the free throw line. Junior forward Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) added 16 points and eight rebounds while Kirwan finished with 14 points. Rounding out the Saints in double figures was Negri with 12 points and junior forward Laura Benvenuto (Wyckoff, N.J.) who had 11.

Emmanuel is now idle until Tuesday, December 6 when they hit the road to face the No. 1 ranked team in the country in Amherst College at 5:30 PM. Rhode Island College returns to action on Saturday when they open up their Little East Conference schedule, heading to Plymouth State for a 1:00 PM contest.