Big Second Half Propels Men's Basketball Over Regis, 95-79

WESTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's basketball team shot almost 60 percent from the field in the second half to defeat the Regis College Pride, 95-79, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball game at Higgins Court. Regis held a one point halftime advantage following a buzzer-beater but EC controlled the action after the break to secure the road win.

Cam Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) led the Pride with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, while Marc Trinidad (Bronx, N.Y.) finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, two blocked shots, and two steals. Zak Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) hit 5-of-6 shots from the field as he scored 11 points, and Josh Germain (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) collected four points, five rebounds, and a game-high six assists.

Dimitri Rosa (Tiverton, R.I.) hit a three-pointer early in the game to give Regis a 5-2 lead, and the Pride maintained that advantage as the two teams traded points. Down 19-14 midway through the first half, Emmanuel scored eight unanswered points, featuring three-pointers by Giovanni Ciampa and Emmett Riddick, to pull ahead 22-19 before Wilkins hit consecutive baskets to allow the Pride to retake the lead.

Riddick hit another three-pointer, 2and Marcus Fox followed with two free throws to give the Saints a 27-23 lead. Emmanuel eventually extended that advantage to 41-34 before Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Rosa hit consecutive three-pointers to pull the Pride within one. In the final minute, Thompson answered a Fox layup with one of his own, and then Latifi launched a shot from the midcourt line that banked in to put the Pride on top at halftime, 45-44.

In the second half, the Pride scored six straight points, four of them from Trinidad, to retake the lead at 53-51, but the Saints quickly answered, going on a 9-2 scoring stretch, capped by a three-pointer from Riddick, to go ahead, 60-55, five minutes into the second half. Gibou Njie (Miramar, Fla.) hit a layup midway through the second half to close the Regis deficit to four at 68-64, but Emmanuel put the game away thanks to an 18-2 scoring run over the next five minutes.

Emmanuel produced four players scoring in double figures, led by Fox with 23 points and Riddick with 22 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Zachary Chrisafulli shot 6-of-7 from the field as he finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and Blake Hardy added 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals to the winning effort.

After hitting 59.4 percent (19-of-32) of its second half field goal attempts, Emmanuel finished the game by shooting 45.6 percent (31-of-68) from the field, including 11-of-31 from behind the three-point line, and 84.6 percent (22-of-26) from the free throw line. The Saints won the rebounding battle, 45-35, including 12 offensive boards leading to 21 second chance points.

The Pride shot 45.1 percent (32-of-71) from the field, including 7-of-27 from behind the three-point line, and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the free throw line. The Pride scored 16 points off 13 Emmanuel turnovers, while the Saints collected 18 points off 12 Regis turnovers.

Before the game, Germain, Njie, and Rosa were honored in a Senior Day presentation.

Emmanuel (16-3, 4-1 GNAC) hosts Colby-Sawyer College Tuesday, Feb. 4, starting at 7:00 PM followed by another home game against Suffolk University Thursday, Feb. 6, at 5:00 PM

Regis (6-13, 2-4 GNAC) steps out of conference to take on Connecticut College in New London, Conn. Tuesday, Feb. 4, beginning at 7:00 PM After a road GNAC game against Norwich next Saturday, Feb. 8, the Pride return to Higgins Court to face University of St. Joseph Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 6:00 PM.

*Release courtesy of Regis College Athletic Communications