Dec. 13, 2011

Box Score

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Men's Basketball Team was defeated by Endicott College, 78-60, in a non-conference tilt played in the Jean Yawkey Center on Tuesday night. This was the Saints' final contest before the winter break, as Emmanuel ends the first semester with a 4-5 overall record and an undefeated 3-0 mark in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Endicott, which got a game-high 34 points from Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia), improves to 5-3 on the season with the victory.

Endicott shot lights out from the floor in the first half, knocking down 60% (18-30) of their attempts from the field. Magee powered the Gulls in the first half, as he drained 7 of 10 from the floor and finished the half with 17 points, three over his season average. The sophomore guard also collected 7 boards and dished out 3 assists in a solid 19-minute first-half effort. Rookie forward Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) added 8 points in the opening frame for the Gulls.

The Gulls forced the Saints into just 24.3% (9-37) shooting in the first half. Junior guard Michael Mailhot kept the Saints in it early in the game, as he came off the bench and quickly drained back-to-back three-pointers. Mailhot finished the half with a team-high 8 points, while fellow backcourt mate Armani Gill (Boston, Mass.) netted 7 points for the Saints.

Endicott went up by as many as twenty points with just a minute left to play in the half, but a three-ball by Gill brought the spread down to 17 at 43-26. A free throw before the break by Gulls' leading scorer Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) set the score at 44-26, Endicott, heading into halftime.

Magee came out of the locker room and quickly netted the Gulls' first six points of the second half, as Endicott took a 50-29 lead at the 16-minute mark. Magee had already notched a double-double, when he hauled in his 10th rebound with 15 minutes remaining in the contest.

Emmanuel would extend its full court zone press, which gave the Gulls fits in the backcourt. Saints' steals led to a drive from the left side by Brandon Jones (Winsor, Conn.), followed by an and-one by Theo Robinson (Springfield, Mass.) and helped EC chip away at their deficit early in the second half.

Mailhot then buried two consecutive hoops, as Emmanuel trailed 55-41 with twelve minutes left. A mid-range jumper by Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) and a put-back by Mailhot capped a 17-7 run by the Saints with the score set at 57-46 at the ten-minute mark. Another and-one by Robinson cut the margin to single digits and forced a Gulls timeout with 8:44 on the clock.

Despite trailing by eight, the Saints owned the momentum late in the game, when Robinson connected on his third three-point play of the night with 6:23 remaining. Endicott would then put together a 15-4 run, backed by consecutive buckets from Greene, to take a 73-56 lead with 3:45 left to play. The Saints were held scoreless for the next two and a half minutes of action, as Endicott pulled away with the 78-60 win.

Magee finished the night with a game-high 34 points on 11 for 17 shooting, including knocking down 9 of 11 from the free throw line and 3 of 5 from downtown. Magee added to his stellar stat line by collecting a team-high 12 boards and dishing out 4 assists in the win. Greene hit for 14 points, 6 steals and 4 assists, while Erik Callo (Southington, Conn.) rounded out a trio of double-figure scorers for Endicott with 10 points on the night.

Duke led Emmanuel with a double-double effort of 15 points and 13 rebounds, leaving him just fifteen points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career. Robinson netted 12 points and grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds. Mailhot hit for 14 points, while Gill chipped in with 10 points and 5 rebounds for the Saints.

As a team, Endicott shot 56.6% (30-53) from the floor, compared to just 26.8% (22-82) shooting by the Saints. Emmanuel owned the glass, out-rebounding Endicott, 50-43, while scoring 18 points off the Gulls' 18 turnovers.

Both teams will return to action after the winter break, when they each take on MASCAC opponents in non-conference match-ups. Emmanuel will travel to Framingham State University on January 5th for a 6:00 PM tip. Endicott will host Salem State University on January 4th in a 7:00 PM start.