MEN'S HOOPS COMES UP SHORT VS ANNA MARIA, 85-84

PAXTON, Mass.—Juniors Patrick Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) and Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.) combined for 56 points and 11 three-pointers to lead the Anna Maria College men's basketball team to a close 85-84 win against the Saints of Emmanuel College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Thursday.

With the win, the AMCATS improve to 13-9 overall and 11-4 in GNAC play, while the Saints fall to 8-13 overall and 6-9 in league action.

Bradanese shot 6-of-11 from three-point range and finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line en route to a 28-point performance. Delorey hit five three-pointers and shot 11-for-15 from the floor to add 28 points of his own.

The Saints had four different players reach double-digits in the scoring column, led by junior Kyle Davis (Groveland, Mass.) with 20 points. Freshman Josh Bushman (Hurst, Texas) added 14 points, while Colin Cordero (Bolton, Conn.) and John Clay (Westport, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points apiece.

The Saints outscored the AMCATS in the first half, using a 51.6 percent effort from the floor to power a 10-point lead with 4:27 left to play in the half. The AMCATS shot at 48.3 percent in the first half, but hit two fewer field goals and seven fewer free-throws. The Saints also outrebounded the AMCATS 20-10 in the first half, including a 9-3 advantage offensively.

The story changed in the second half, as the AMCATS needed just 5:07 to tie the game at 52-52. The teams would exchange five ties and seven lead changes over the remaining 14:53, as neither team was able to break open a large enough gap to take control.

Bradanese and Delorey hit back-to-back shots to give the AMCATS a five-point lead at 59-54 with 13:!5 to play and a pair of free-throws by Youssef Fodaile (Worcester, Mass.) made it a seven-point lead 30 seconds later, but the Saint came rallying back, stringing together four-straight scoring plays while holding the AMCATS scoreless to take a 62-61 lead with 11:43 left.

With 3:55 to play, the Saints held a five-point lead at 76-71. Anna Maria's Delorey drained a three, but the AMCATS still trailed. Down four a minute-and-a-half later, Delorey stole the ball on the defense end, scored the fast-break layup and was fouled, converting the three-point play to cut the Saints' lead to one point at 81-80.

Emmanuel's Cordero drained a pair of three-pointers on the other end to lead 83-80, but Bradanese drained a deep three to tie the score again. An AMCAT foul with 39 seconds left sent Emmanuel's Davis to the free-throw line, where he missed his first and hit the second for an 84-83 edge.

With 17 seconds left to play, Anna Maria's Corey Pryor (Whitinsville, Mass.) drained the game-winner. The Saints had a chance for rebuttal, but the shot fell short and the AMCATS escaped with the win.

Emmanuel outshot the AMCATS 43-26 in the paint and held a 19-10 advantage in second-chance points, but Anna Maria held a 23-10 advantage in points off turnovers and a 12-2 edge in fast-break points. The Saints bench outscored Anna Maria's 33-19. The Saints also held a 39-24 advantage in rebounds, including an 18-8 edge in offensive boards.

The AMCATS will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Lasell for a 3:00 p.m. game. Emmanuel will play on the road on Saturday, traveling to St. Joseph's College for a 3:00 p.m. contest. 

*Release courtesy of AMC Sports Information