SAINTS OVERPOWERED BY #14 WILDCATS IN GNAC SEMIS

PROVIDENCE, RI. – The Emmanuel College men's basketball team (10-17) hung tough with #14 Johnson & Wales (25-2), but wasn't able to to upset the Wildcats, who cleaned up a 97-79 win in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals last night.

Records:
Emmanuel: 10-17
Johnson & Wales: 25-2 

The Lead:
The Wildcats advanced to their second-straight GNAC final by shooting 60 percent (30-of-50. It's Johnson & Wales best shooting night since hitting 60 percent against Albertus Magnus – its opponent in the finals – on January 13. The Wildcats shot 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from behind the arc.

Of Note:
The Saints matched the Wildcats shot-for-shot in the opening minutes and took a 10-9 lead on John Clay (Westport, Mass.) lay-up. A pair of Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) baskets highlighted an 11-0 run that was capped by a Jarell Lawson (Providence, RI) three-pointer to put JWU up 20-10. The Saints kept it close, and even closed the lead to 29-21 at the 6:30 mark, but Johnson & Wales ended the half on a 20-10 run to go into the half up 49-31.

Leading all scorers was Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, NY) as he poured in 34 points, including 16-of-20 from the free throw line. The nation's number five scorer has recorded 30 or more points in four of his last six games. Greenaway added a game-high 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double in a row and 13^th of the year.

Three other Wildcats reached double figures with Garrick close behind at 19 markers. Point guard Anthony Jernigan (East Hartford, Conn.) had 16 points, six steals and four assists. He leads the country with 3.70 steals per game. Senior Robert Lewis (Providence, RI) was next 13 points, four rebounds and three blocks.

Clay led the Saints with 20 points. Senior Kyle Davis (Groveland, Mass.) just missed a double-double at 15 points and nine rebounds. Junior Kyle Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) was the third EC player in double figures as he added 12.

The loss marks the final game of the careers of Clay, Davis and Rashad Dixon. Clay ends his career with 745 points, 568 rebounds, and 142 steals. Davis holds the single-game program record with 21 rebounds (1/17/15 vs. Norwich), and finishes with 665 points and 382 rebounds in his career. Dixon, despite only playing two seasons with the Saints, tallied 199 points, 105 rebounds, and had three games with at least two steals.