EMMANUEL USES STRONG SECOND HALF TO RALLY PAST WIT MEN'S BASKETBALL

BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Marcus Fox (Danbury, Conn.) scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half as the Emmanuel College men's basketball team rallied to defeat Wentworth Institute of Technology, 81-62, in non-conference action Saturday afternoon.

Winners of three straight, the Saints improve to 6-3 while the Leopards fall to 2-6.

After sophomore Zachary Crisafulli (Hatfield, Mass.) hit a jumper which gave Emmanuel a 4-2 lead, Wentworth used a 15-3 run to take a 17-7 lead after senior Zach Bergeon (Litchfield, N.H.) hit a three pointer with 12:56 remaining. Fox hit two free throws and senior Isaiah Ruffen (Haverhill, Mass.) hit one of two from the line to trim the lead to seven, the Leopards outscored the Saints 12-4 over the next five and a half minutes and took a 29-14 lead after a sophomore Gavin Keough (Dunstable, Mass.) jumper.

Wentworth upped its lead to 17 on two occasions, including when Keough converted a layup with 5:02 left to make it 35-18, however, Emmanuel used a 12-0 run and cut the lead to five (35-30) after Ruffen hit a three with 1:04 left. On the next possession, Bergeon buried a three to end the run and give the hosts a 38-30 lead at the break. The Leopards, who at one point were shooting 62.5 percent from the floor in the frame, shot 53.3 percent over the first 20 minutes.

Emmanuel opened the second half on a 15-2 run and took a 45-40 lead after Fox converted a layup with 14:12 remaining. Junior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) put home a second-chance basket to trim the lead to three, however, a 9-0 Saints run pushed the lead to 12 with 11:28 remaining in the contest. Emmanuel led by 14 twice, including when Crisafulli converted a layup with 8:14 left before a jumper from Keough and a Azums layup brought the lead to 10. That was as close as Wentworth would come, however, as a 15-7 spurt by the Saints pushed the lead to 18 with two and a half minutes remaining.

In addition to his 21 points, Fox also grabbed 11 rebounds to complete a double-double. Three other players scored in double figures as Ruffen and junior Emmett Riddick (Middletown, Conn.) scored 13 apiece and Crisafulli added 10. Riddick also had six assists. Emmanuel shot 52.4 percent for the game, including 56.8 percent in the second half.

Azums recorded his fourth double-double of the season as he scored 16 points (on 8-of-10 shooting) to go along with 12 rebounds. Keough was Wentworth's other double-digit scorer, as he scored 11 points. Sophomore Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I) and Bergeon each finished with eight points for the Black & Gold.

Emmanuel travels to UMass Boston on Tuesday while Wentworth's next game is also at UMass Boston as the Leopards close out the first semester against the Beacons on Friday.

*Release courtesy of WIT Sports Information Dept.