Dec. 1, 2011

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - Junior guard Sasha Brown (Harlem, N.Y.) netted a game-high 28 points to lead the Wesleyan University men's basketball team in a come-from-behind 67-63 victory over Emmanuel College Thursday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center gymnasium in Boston, Mass. With the victory, the Cardinals improve to 5-1 overall while the loss drops the Saints to a 1-3 mark.

Trailing by six at halftime (34-28), Wesleyan kept the game within striking distance throughout the first 12 minutes of the second half, never trailing by more than eight points. A three-ball from junior guard Derick Beresford (Hampton, Ga.) with 12:53 remaining pulled the Cardinals to within a bucket at 47-45 before the Saints were able to push the lead back to five with a three of their own from sophomore guard Josh Welles (Philadelphia, Pa.), making it 52-47 with 10:45 left in the half.

Wesleyan would continue to push and another three by Beresford with 7:06 to play made it a one point game at 55-54 in favor of EC. Emmanuel sophomore forward Theo Robinson (Springfield, Mass.) would answer on the next possession with a jumper to make it 57-54 before the Cardinals would tie the score at 57-all following a free throw by Brown at the 6:18 mark. On the ensuing possession, junior forward Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) put the Saints back on top with a layup at 5:21 to pull the hosts back ahead by a bucket at 59-57. Brown responded with a layup of his own to knot the game at 59-59 with 4:46 left in the frame.

Both squads had several possessions to break the 59-all deadlock but it was Brown who was able to do the damage, converting a fast break layup with 2:30 left in the game to pull Wesleyan ahead, 61-59. EC junior guard Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) sank a mid-range jumper to tie the game at 61-61 with 1:37 remaining before Brown took over to seal the win for the Cardinals. The junior would hit a left-handed layup, draw a foul and convert the old fashion three-point play with 1:03 remaining to pull Wesleyan ahead for good.

Emmanuel senior forward Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) was able to convert a pair of free throws to make it a one point game (64-63) with 0:50 seconds remaining to set the tone for the Saints ensuing defensive stand. Following 30 seconds of great defense, Brown was able to break free and draw a foul, earning a pair of double bonus free throws from the charity stripe. He would miss the first before draining the second to put Wesleyan on top, 65-63 with 0:20 tics left. With two timeouts remaining, Emmanuel opted to keep the ball in play by pushing it into their own offensive zone, trying to get a quick look to tie or take the lead but a Saints turnover with 0:04 seconds remaining ended any hope of a comeback. Brown was fouled with 1.1 seconds and sank both free throws to account for the 67-63 final in favor of the Cardinals.

In the first half, the Saints opened up play with a quick basket by senior forward Nate Jackson (Middleboro, Mass.) to jump ahead 2-0 before the Cardinals took control of the contest, taking a 20-11 lead with 8:42 remaining in the opening stanza following a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Julian Harris (New Hartford, Conn.). Emmanuel would erase the nine-point deficit and battle back to tie the game at 24-24 following a three-point bucket by Mailhot. Another three by Mailhot squared the game away at 27-all before the junior converted a fast break layup to pull the Saints back on top, 29-27, giving the home squad its first lead of the game since the opening bucket. Emmanuel ended the half on a 7-1 run to take a 34-28 lead into the halftime intermission before the late second half heroics from Brown and the Cardinals.

Senior guard Jason Mendell (Bedford, N.Y.) was the only other Cardinal in double figures, scoring 10 points while junior forward Mike Callaghan (Madison, Conn.) was one point shy of a double-double, recording nine points and 10 rebounds.

Mailhot ended the contest with a team-high 17 points while Everson chipped in with 13 and eight rebounds. Welles also was in double figures with 10 points off the bench.

Emmanuel will return to the court on Saturday afternoon when they host Johnson & Wales University at 1:00 PM to open play in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference while Wesleyan in back in action the same day when they travel to City College of New York for a 3:00 PM contest.