NEWTON, Mass. - After trailing by 22 at the half, Emmanuel men's basketball crawled all the way out of the hole, momentarily taking the lead, but came up short of completing the comeback, as the Saints fell 85-81 on Saturday afternoon to the Lasell Lasers in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play from the Lasell Atheltic Center. The loss drops Emmanuel to 8-11 (2-5 GNAC), while the victory boosts the Lasers to 10-10 (5-2 GNAC).
The Lasers used 16-for-33 shooting from the field and 14-of-17 shooting at the foul line to build a commanding first half lead. After an even start in the opening 3:49, the Lasers pushed away with a 14-4 run, taking a 20-9 lead in the process. That double digit advantage held for nearly the entire half, as the Lasers built on their advantage in the final 9:41, finishing the half on a 26-15 surge, to hold a 51-29 lead at the break.
The Saints run started immediately out of the locker room as a 22-9 run got the visitors back to a single digit deficit at 60-51 with 13:11 to go. The offensive barrage continued over the next four minutes, as the Saints next run of 15-4 erased the 22-point deficit, giving Emmanuel a 66-64 lead with 8:43 to go. In total, the 22-point deficit was erased with the help of a 37-13 start to the second half in the span of 11:17.
Lasell stemmed the momentum and answered back in what would ultimately be a critical run for the home side, using a 12-5 spurt to regain the lead at 76-71 with 5:01 remaining. The Saints managed to set up a thrilling final minute, tying the game at 81-81 thanks to a made layup, with 75 seconds to go.
From that point, neither side made another field goal, as free throws ultimately decided Saturday's winner. The Lasers made their way to the foul line for six shots in the final 1:15, going 4-of-6 at the line, while the Saints went 0-for-2 from the floor to go with one turnover, as the Lasers held on for an 85-81 win.
The Saints made their comeback attempt thanks in part to 20-for-31 shooting in the second half, including 6-for-13 from beyond the arc. Junior
Cameron Snowden led the Saints with 15 points to go along with six rebounds. First-year
Aiden Oliveira scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Junior
Mahari Guerrier and first-year
Ryan Rangel each chipped in with a dozen points.
Esmer Madesko led all players with 24 points for Lasell.
Che Hanks added 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting.
The Saints return on Tuesday, Feb. 3, hosting Regis for a GNAC game at 7:30 p.m. The Lasers also return on Tuesday, traveling to Saint Joseph's of Maine.