#3 Men's Hoops Set to Host #6 Lasell in GNAC Quarterfinal

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's basketball team is set to host Lasell University in the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Quarterfinal round on Tuesday, February 25 at 5:30 PM on the Andy Yosinoff Court. The Saints bring a 19-6 overall record to the contest after posting a 7-4 mark in the GNAC to earn the No. 3 seed. The Lasers stand at 9-16 overall and posted a 6-5 mark in the GNAC to secure the No. 6 seed.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Emmanuel:

• The Saints enter the GNAC Tournament ranked third in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 87.0 points per game.
• Emmanuel has connected on 231 three's this year to rank second in the GNAC.
• EC finished the regular season ranked first in the GNAC in defensive rebounding, pulling down a league-leading 31.9 defensive boards per contest.
• The19 wins on the year mark the second-most in program history, needing just one more to tie the single-season record of 20 wins from the 2005-06 campaign.

Lasell:

• The Lasers opened GNAC play with a 5-0 record before closing conference play with a mark of 6-5, dropping five of its final six vs. league opponents.
• Lasell opponents average just 37.6 rebounds per game, the fourth lowest total in the conference.
• Lasell struggled defensively this season, allowing opponents to average 84.8 points per game, ranking 11^th out of 12 teams in GNAC scoring defense.
• The Lasers posted a 7-2 record when scoring 85+ points in regulation this season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Emmanuel:

• Senior guard Emmett Riddick (Middletown, Conn.) led EC in scoring with 18.6 points per game and a career-best 4.9 rebounds per game.
• Junior forward Marcus Fox (Danbury, Conn.) finished the regular season with 15 double-doubles to rank eighth in the country and has netted double-figures in all but one game this year.
• Junior guard Jack Moulder (Newtown, Conn.) enters the GNAC tourney as one of the top threats from beyond the arc, ranking fourth in the conference in total threes made (67), shooting over a 42% clip from downtown to rank eighth overall and third among GNAC players with more than 50 makes from long range.

Lasell

• Since joining the team in January, sophomore guard EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.) has taken over the Lasers offensive production, averaging 23.9 points a night to rank second in the GNAC and has five games with 30+ points including a career-high 45 point outing on January 29 in a win over Regis.
• Junior forward Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.) is one of only two players to average a double-double vs. GNAC opponents with 16.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game against the league.
• Junior guard Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.) averaged 15.8 points a game and has scored in double-figures in nine straight games entering the GNAC tournament.

COACHES' CORNER:

Danny Lawson - Emmanuel
Coach Lawson has compiled an impressive 37-14 record over two seasons at Emmanuel for a .725 winning percentage. He was tabbed the 2019 D3Hoops Northeast Region Coach of the Year after guiding the Saints to an 18-8 mark a year ago while the 19 wins this season is the second-most by an Emmanuel team, one shy of tying the single-season record.

Aaron Galletta – Lasell
In his 14th season at Lasell, Galletta has coached the Lasers to an overall record of 185-194 including a 138-94 mark in conference play (.595) over two leagues (NAC, GNAC). He's led the program to one NCAA tournament appearance in 2008 as well as three ECAC tourney berths. Galletta has coached 16 All-Conference players, two Player of the Year honorees, two All-Region players, two Josten's Trophy Finalists, and a Lasell and GNAC Hall of Fame Inductee.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

On Saturday, January 18, the Lasers trailed Emmanuel by nine (60-51) with 4:35 remaining in regulation before closing out the game on an 18-8 flurry that included a game-winning layup by Day with 1.8 seconds left on the clock for the 69-68 Lasell win.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Lasell is 3-1 all-time vs. Emmanuel in the GNAC tournament, posting wins in the 2017 and 2012 Quarterfinals as well as a 70-61 victory in the 2008 Semifinals en route to the Lasers title run. The Saints win came in the 2009 semifinals in a tight 94-91 decision. Overall, Lasell owns the series lead with a 19-8 record vs. EC including seven straight.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

The Saints are back in the tourney field for the second straight year and for the program's 15^th trip to the GNAC postseason while the Lasers make their 10^th appearance since joining the league back in 2008. 

Emmanuel owns a 10-14 overall record in GNAC tournament play and has never won the GNAC title. The Saints appeared in the GNAC Championship in 2007 and 2009 but fell to Rivier in '07 (59-57) and to Saint Joseph's (ME) in '09 (74-72, OT).

Lasell boasts an 11-9 GNAC tourney record, winning the GNAC Championship back in 2008 during their first tournament appearance. The Lasers are 8-2 all-time in the GNAC Quarterfinals but own a 2-6 mark when getting to the Semifinal round.

TICKETS
Adult admission is $5.00 and children 12 and under is $3.00. Emmanuel College students, staff and faculty may receive free admission but must present a valid student/college ID at the door.

COVERAGE
Tuesday's GNAC Quarterfinal game will be streamed live on the web with the official call of the game from the voice of the Saints, Matt LaPan. To tune into the live action, click on one of the links below:

LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

GNAC TOURNEY SCHEDULE
Tuesday, February 25 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #8 Regis at #1 St. Joseph (CT) - 7:00 PM
Game 2: #5 Saint Joseph's Maine at #4 Anna Maria - 7:00 PM
Game 3: #6 Lasell at  #3 Emmanuel - 5:30 PM
Game 4: #7 Suffolk at #2 Albertus Magnus - 7:00 PM

Thursday, February 27 - Semifinals
Game 5: 4/5 winner vs 1/8 winner
Game 6: 3/6 winner vs 2/7 winner 

Saturday, February 29 - Final
Game 7: Highest remaining seed