MEN'S BASKETBALL COMEBACK FALLS SHORT VS ALBERTUS MAGNUS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior guard Devin Coleman (Bridgeport, Conn.) topped the 20-point plateau for the second game in a row to lead the Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team past visiting Emmanuel, 93-77, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Thursday evening at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.

The Falcons (3-1, 1-0 GNAC) knocked down 11 shots from three-point range to net their third straight double-digit win, while the Saints (1-3, 0-2 GNAC) surrendered 90 or more points in their second setback in a row.

Coleman recorded her first double-double as a Falcon thanks to a 24-point, 11-assist performance. The senior transfer hits six shots from beyond the arc and had 20 of his points during the first half. Two other Albertus Magnus players poured in 20 or more points as junior Jaqhawn Walters (Hartford, Conn.) had 22 and senior guard Shaquille Mitchell (Linden, N.J.) had 20. Walters recorded his third double-double of the season thanks to pulling down a game-high 12 boards to go along with a quartet of steals, while Mitchell was an efficient 8-of-10 shooting from the field, including a trio of three-pointers. Freshman forward Damian Grant (Waterbury, Conn.) was also in double figures for the hosts with 16 points. Grant was a force in the post, hitting 6-of-7 shots and grabbing four rebounds, while also registering a pair of thunderous dunks.

Sophomore guard Joe Tamburro lit it up for Emmanuel, scoring a game-high 28 points to go along with seven rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists. Tamburro was all over the court for the visitors and played a pivotal role in the team cutting its deficit to single digits in the second frame. He hit two shots from beyond the arc and all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Three other Saints scored in double figures as senior forward Aidan Hadley had 14 on 6-of-10 shooting, while recording six rebounds and classmate Julian Diggs provided a spark off the bench with 13. Junior guard Colin Cordero helped the visitors get off to a strong start and scored nine of his 10 points in the opening half.

 Albertus Magnus jumped out to an early, 6-2, advantage following a layup from Walters 80 seconds into the game. Emmanuel answered with a 9-0 run to take an 11-6 lead after a lay in from Hadley with 17:30 left on the clock. The visitors would maintain their edge over the next few minutes and built the lead to as many as 6 at 15-9 after another Hadley layup.

Following a timeout, the Falcons would reel off 10 points capped by a Coleman trey to take a 19-15 lead. The timeout proved to be a turning point in the game as Albertus Magnus never trailed again in the tilt. After Diggs pulled the guests to with three at 22-19 with 9:20 left in the opening stanza, AMC went on a monster 18-2 run to blow the game open. During the spurt, Albertus Magnus  hit four three-pointers and scored 15 straight points. Cordero capped the scoring in the first frame with a layup to pull the guests within 20 at 53-33.

In the second half, the Falcons scored four straight points to balloon their lead to 24 at 57-33. In a game of runs, the Saints finally had theirs as the visitors went on a 21-2 spurt over a five-minute span to pull within five at 59-54 with 13 and a half minutes left in regulation. Five minutes later, EC made it a one-score game as an Alex Minetti lay in brought the guests within three at 65-62 with just under nine minutes left. Over the next two minutes, the two squads would trade buckets and a pair of free throws from Diggs made it a three-point game once again in favor of the Falcons at 71-68. Clinging to a three-point lead at 77-74 with four minutes left, Albertus Magnus used a 11-0 run over a two-minute span to put the game out of reach. Down the stretch the hosts hit their free throws to escape with the hard-fought league win.

Albertus Magnus turned 20 Emmanuel turnovers into 16 points. The biggest difference in the contest was three-point shooting as the Falcons knocked down 11-of-22 from deep (50.0%), while the Saints converted on just 3-of-14 (21.4%) from beyond the arc. Both teams enjoyed the uptempo pace of the contest, combining for 44 fastbreak points.

Albertus Magnus closes out a busy week of play with a conference road showdown against Johnson & Wales on Saturday, December 1. The rematch of last season's GNAC Championship game is slated to begin at 1:00 pm. The Falcons are looking to avenge two consecutive losses to the Wildcats in the Ocean State.