BIG SECOND HALF FUELS 83-62 MEN’S BASKETBALL WIN OVER REGIS

THE BASICS 

Score:             
Regis College, 62; Emmanuel College, 83
Records:         
Emmanuel College Saints (11-4, 2-0 GNAC)
Regis College Pride (6-9, 1-0 GNAC)
Location:        
Boston, Mass. – Andy Yosinoff Court
Date:              
Tuesday, January 15, 2019

THE LEAD:  A 16-2 run out of halftime powered the Emmanuel College men's basketball team past Regis College, 83-62, Tuesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action on the Andy Yosinoff Court.

HOW IT HAPPENED  

• The Saints never trailed in the first half, jumping out to an early 9-2 lead and holding on to the advantage throughout the stanza.
• Emmanuel took its' largest lead of the half following a free throw by senior guard Joe Tamburro (South Windsor, Conn.) that gave the hosts a 19-9 cushion with 12:30 left in the action.
• Regis never let the game get away, applying full court man-to-man defensive pressure much of the action which forced the Saints into 10 turnovers in the frame.
• The Pride cut the lead to three (30-27) with 2:39 left in the half after a pair of free throws by Ademola Afonja (Staten Island, N.Y.) but the Saints would end up taking a five point 38-33 lead into the intermission behind an 11-point first half outing by junior guard Emmett Riddick (Middletown, Conn.).
• Emmanuel took control of the action with a 16-2 run to open the second half fueled by five points apiece from Riddick and sophomore forward Marcus Fox (Danbury, Conn.) to build the lead to 54-35.
• Regis could not recover as the hosts would cruise to the 83-62 GNAC victory, marking the program's first 3-0 start in conference play since the 2011-12 campaign.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

• Fox led all scorers with 20 points on a 9-for-14 shooting performance from the field including 2-for-2 from downtown while Riddick finished the game with 18 points and seven rebounds.
• EC senior Ira Lough (North Smithfield, R.I.) posted a career-high 13 points off the bench in 13 minutes of action.
• Afonja paced the Pride with a team-high 11 points in just 19 minutes before leaving the game after a collision with an Emmanuel player.
• Emmanuel senior Isaiah Ruffen (Haverhill, Mass.) added 16 rebounds in a gritty defensive effort, tying his career-high.
• On the night, the Saints out-rebounded the Pride by a 56-31 margin.

UP NEXT

• The Saints are now idle until Wednesday, January 23 when they travel to Northfield, Vt. to take on Norwich University at 7:00 PM.
• The Pride have just one day off before returning to the court on Thursday, January 17 when they hit the road to take on Colby-Sawyer College in more GNAC action at 7:00 PM.