SAINTS NIP LEOPARDS, 47-40, IN SECOND ROUND OF GREATER BOSTON CLASSIC

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College Men's Basketball Team pulled off a 47-40 win over the visiting Leopards of Wentworth Institute of Technology on Sunday night in the consolation game of the Saints Greater Boston Classic, played in Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center.  With the win, the host Saints improve to 1-1 on the season, while the Leopards drop to 0-2 on the year.

A stagnant start for both teams included nearly three minutes of scoreless action, before Emmanuel's sophomore guard Julian Diggs (Upper Marlboro, Md.) ended the drought with a three from the left wing. A tip-in by Aidan Hadley (Owls Head, Maine) put the Saints up 7-2 and forced a Wentworth timeout with 12:35 on the clock.

Emmanuel held Wentworth to just one field goal for the first twelve and a half minutes of action.  Nico Donato (Glastonbury, Conn.) finally knocked down a baseline trey for the Leopards, to cut their deficit to 9-5 with just over seven minutes remaining in the half.

Hadley would convert an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:53 to go in the half, putting the hosts up 16-9, and forcing a full timeout by the Leopards.  The Saints hung onto their slim advantage in the waning moments of the half, despite a Wentworth bucket in the paint by Tim Juitt (Wellesley, Mass.) and a pair of free throws from Donato.

EC took a 19-15 lead into the locker room at halftime. The low-scoring first half featured a combined 12 field goals for the two teams, as Wentworth shot just 20% (4-20) and Emmanuel shot 26.7% (8-30).  Jordan DeMario's (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) five points led the Saints and Donato's five led the Leopards in the opening frame.

Coming out of the break at halftime, Wentworth quickly knotted the game, as Ray Bessette (Scarborough, Maine) and Cesar Fulcar (Watertown, Mass.) drained back-to-back threes for the Leopards, setting the score at 21-all just ninety seconds into the second half.  The visitors would then take their only lead of the night (23-21) on a hoop by Cam Sennick (Wilton, Maine).

The Saints then went on a 20-2 run, sparked by the post play of Hadley and Kyle Davis (Groveland, Mass.), who returned to the contest after three quick fouls in the opening minutes of play.  An Emmanuel three-pointer by rookie guard Josh Bushman (Hurst, Texas) forced a Leopards' timeout with the Saints up 38-23 and 10:16 on the clock.

Out of the timeout, sophomore transfer Matt Raine (Miami, Fla.) buried a baseline trifecta and the hosts led 41-23.  An and-one from Jason Ganley (Northbridge, Mass.) got Wentworth back on the board with eight minutes left to play in the game.

Eleven unanswered points from Wentworth, capped with a layup on the break by Donato, got the Leopards back in the game, down 41-34 with 4:44 remaining.  Following a full timeout by Emmanuel, Davis and Wentworth's John-Michael Fragnoli (Schenectady, N.Y.) exchanged hoops at opposite ends, setting the score at 43-36, Saints, with just under three minutes to go.

A quick Wentworth hoop made it a five-point game and forced an EC timeout with two and half minutes left.  Neither team would connect for nearly two minutes of action, before Hadley hit one in the paint for the Saints with just 43 seconds left, giving Emmanuel a 45-38 lead.  Donato sunk a lay-up for the Leopards and Diggs hit two free throws down the stretch for the Saints, as Emmanuel held on for the 47-40 win.

Hadley was the game's lone double-figure scorer, netting 10 points and grabbing 12 boards for a double-double to lead the way for the Saints.  Diggs finished with nine points and four assists, while DeMario netted nine points and hauled in four rebounds.  Junior captain John Clay (Westport, Mass.) ripped down nine boards and collected five thefts in the win for EC.

Donato and Ganley led the Leopards with nine points apiece.  Fragnoli led Wentworth on the glad with seven boards, while Fulcar dished out four assists in the effort.

Emerson College will face Regis College in tonight's Greater Boston Classic championship game. Next up for the Saints is a non-conference game at Wesleyan University on Thursday night at 7:00 PM. Wentworth also returns to the court on Thursday, as the Leopards host Clark University in a 7:00 PM start.