Franklin, Mass. – Emmanuel College men's basketball used a dominant first-half performance to pull away from Dean College, earning a 73-61 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory Tuesday night. The Saints (12-11, 6-4 GNAC) established control early and never looked back, building a commanding 40-20 halftime advantage before weathering a second-half rally from the Bulldogs (15-8, 5-5).

The Saints' defense was the story of the opening 20 minutes, limiting Dean to just 8-of-36 shooting (22.2%) from the field and 1-of-7 from three-point range. Emmanuel forced four turnovers and controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 27-19 in the half.

Offensively, Emmanuel shot 53.1% in the first half, including a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to double digits. The Saints led by as many as 20 points in the opening period, taking a 40-20 advantage into the locker room.

Dean made things interesting after halftime, outscoring Emmanuel 41-33 in the second period. However, Emmanuel's cushion proved too much to overcome. The Saints' largest lead of the game came with 5:33 remaining in the second half at 23 points (71-48), and they never allowed Dean closer than 12 points down the stretch.

Noah Beaudet paced Emmanuel with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. The guard was particularly effective in the second half, scoring 12 of his points after intermission to help the Saints maintain their cushion.

Mahari Guerrier added 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Cameron Snowden (11 points), Danny Adams (10 points), and Aidan Oliveira (8 points, 9 rebounds) rounded out the balanced scoring effort for Emmanuel.

Christian Yeates led the Bulldogs' comeback attempt with 17 points, while the home team improved to 47.2% shooting after the break.

Emmanuel shot 48.4% from the field for the game and converted 34 points in the paint while limiting turnovers to just 14.

Up Next
The Saints host Mitchell College on Friday night, February 11, at 6:30 p.m. for Senior Night in the Jean Yawkey Center on Yosinoff Court.