Feb. 1, 2012

Box Score

Boston, Mass. - Senior guard Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass.) netted a game-high 17 points on a 7-8 shooting performance from the floor to lead the Emmanuel College women's basketball team past Pine Manor College, 89-42, Wednesday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center gymnasium in Boston, Mass. With the win, the Saints improve to 14-6 overall and stay perfect in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action with an 8-0 mark while the Gators drop to 7-11 and 1-8 in the GNAC.

Over the first three minutes of action, Emmanuel opened the game on a 9-0 run and never looked back. Kirwan capped the opening spurt with a three point bucket from the wing before the Gators got on the board with a layup by senior guard Phibe Pham (Boston, Mass.) to make it 9-2 with 15:30 remaining in the frame.

The Saints would continue to build their lead and a Kirwan steal and fast-break layup with 8:38 to play made it 21-10, forcing Pine Manor to take a timeout. Following the break, senior guard Therline Dumeran (Cambridge, Mass.) was able to draw a foul and convert both free throws to cut the Saints lead back into single digits (21-12) but it would be the closest that Pine Manor would come for the remainder of the contest.

Following a Gator turnover, a fast-break layup by junior forward Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) with 3:06 left in the first half increased the Saints lead to 37-15. Over the final few minutes of the half, the squads would trade baskets and a pair of free throws to make it a 43-19 contest at the halftime intermission.

The Saints held the Gators to just 17.6% shooting from the floor in the half (6-34) and forced 18 turnovers.

In the second half, Kirwan traded hoops with Gator sophomore guard Ashley Carusone (Nashua, N.H.) to make it 45-21 with 18:13 remaining before the Saints rattled off 13 consecutive points to take a stronghold on the action at 58-21. Senior guard Jessica Gilmore broke the Pine Manor scoreless drought with a pair of free throws around the 13 minute mark to make it 58-23.

Freshman guard Victoria Sanfiorenzo (San Juan, Puerto Rico) got into the scoring action, converting jumpers in back-to-back possessions to boost the Saints lead to 69-28 with 7:30 remaining.

On back-to-back possessions, pine Manor senior guard Jessica Gilmore (Dorchester, Mass.) converted a pair of free throws and a Pham jumper with just over four minutes remaining made it 80-41 but Emmanuel would hold on for the 89-42 victory to remain unbeaten in GNAC action.

Along with her 17 points, Kirwan also finished the contest with four rebounds and three assists. O'Dwyer was next in the scoring column for the Saints with 14 points and eight rebounds. Also netting double-figures were senior guard Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) and sophomore center Victoria Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y.), each with 10 points, respectively. Freshman point guard Britni Mikulanecz (Portland, Maine.) rounded out the starting five with a game-high nine assists to help propel the Saints to the win.

For the Gators, Gilmore finished with a team-high 15 points while Dumeran recorded a double-double of 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Carusone also helped out on the glass, grabbing 12 boards for the visitors.

The Saints will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they head to New Haven, Conn. to face Albertus Magnus College in a 1:00 PM GNAC matchup while the Gators play again the same day when they host Suffolk University at 1:00 PM in Chestnut Hill, Mass.