BOSTON, Mass. – Emmanuel College women's basketball couldn't hold onto a commanding 19-point first-half lead, falling 86-77 to Southern Maine on Tuesday night on Yosinoff Court at the Jean Yawkey Center.
The Saints (2-2, 0-0 GNAC) controlled the game for the first 20 minutes, building their largest advantage at 30-11 early in the second quarter before the visiting Huskies (3-0, 0-0 LEC) stormed back with a devastating third-quarter performance to hand Emmanuel its second loss of the season.
Emmanuel came out hot, racing to a 20-11 lead after the first quarter. The Saints continued to pour it on in the second, with bench spark plug Nylah Mitchell leading the charge. Mitchell was nearly unstoppable in the paint, scoring 18 of her game-high 24 points in the first half as Emmanuel built a 43-28 halftime cushion.
Shea Canavan provided an additional lift off the bench, hitting a pair of three-pointers, while Lia Krumian added 15 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting performance. The Saints shot 55.6% in the second quarter and dominated the paint throughout the game, outscoring Southern Maine 50-26 in that area.
Everything unraveled for Emmanuel in the third quarter. The Saints managed just 16 points in the period while Southern Maine erupted for 34, including an efficient 5-of-6 performance from three-point range.
Emmanuel's offense was stalled by costly turnovers and foul trouble. The Saints committed seven turnovers in the third quarter alone, and Southern Maine capitalized, attacking the basket and getting to the free-throw line repeatedly. A Lucy Wiles three-pointer with 33 seconds left in the third gave the Huskies their first lead at 60-59, and Emmanuel never fully recovered.
The Saints briefly retook the lead at 77-76 on a Tyra Blye three-pointer with 2:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get another basket the rest of the way. Emmanuel missed its final five field goal attempts, including two layup attempts by Kalia Saunders and a contested jumper by Krumian in the closing minutes.
Meanwhile, Southern Maine's Jaycie Christopher took over in crunch time, scoring eight of her 19 points in the final three minutes. The Huskies sealed the victory at the free-throw line, converting 10 of their final 12 attempts.
Free throws proved to be a difference maker in this one. The Saints attempted just 11 free throws all game compared to Southern Maine's 25, converting only seven (63.6%). The Huskies made 21 of 25 (84.0%), including 11 of 12 in the decisive third quarter. Emmanuel's 21 turnovers also proved costly, leading to 30 Southern Maine points.
Mitchell's 24-point performance is a career-high for the first year. She attacked the basket relentlessly and also grabbed seven rebounds.
The Saints head to Curry College on Saturday, November 22 to close out an opening stretch of five games in seven days. Tip-off in Milton is at 4:00 p.m.