Anna Maria Completes Comeback To Down Emmanuel Men’s Hoops, 76-62

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel College, 62
Anna Maria College, 76

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (12-5, 8-3 GNAC)
Anna Maria College AMCats (10-7, 7-4 GNAC)

Location: Boston, Mass. – JYC Gymnasium/Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Tuesday, February 1, 2022

THE LEAD – A 16-2 run midway through the second half powered Anna Maria College past host Emmanuel College, 76-62, Tuesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball action in Boston, Mass.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Trailing 46-38 with 13:35 to play in regulation, the AMCats put together a 16-2 run over a five minute stretch to swing the momentum and silence a raucous Emmanuel crowd with a triple by first year Trevian Grenon (Sutton, Mass.) to give AMC the 54-48 led with 8:45 left in the half.
• With 6:08 to play, Anna Maria built the lead up to 11 at 65-54 before Emmanuel scored six straight points to get within striking distance at 65-60 but the AMCats closed the game strong, outscoring the hosts 11-2 over the final 3:42 of regulation to hold on for the come-from-behind 76-62 road win.
• The first half saw 11 lead changes and three ties that ended with the Saints on top 36-32 at the break. EC came out of the gates strong, building an 18-10 cushion early following a layup by sophomore forward Eljay Morris (London, England) but AMC responded with a 10-1 spurt to take a 20-19 lead with 8:34 to play on a pair of free throws by Gabe Armstead (Dallas, Ga.).
• A three by Grenon with 3:12 to play gave AMC its largest lead of the half at 32-27 but the Saints closed the stanza strong with an 8-0 run capped by a three by senior Devin Pulsifer (Winthrop, Mass.) to account for the 36-32 halftime margin.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Four AMCat starters finished in double-figures led by a game-high 20 points by Grenon. Armstead added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds while sophomore Jakai Alexandre (Fitchburg, Mass.) recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists. Senior Ralph Grasso Jr. (Marlborough, Mass.) rounded out the group with 10 points.
• EC sophomore Donte Pope (Middletown, Mass.) paced EC with 18 points and eight rebounds.
• Anna Maria finished the night shooting 44.4% from the field which included 50.0% from downtown (9-for-18) while holding the Saints to a dismal 32.8% from the floor and only 20.0% from three (6-for-30).

UP NEXT

• Both squads return to the court on Thursday, February 3 as the Saints head to Standish, Maine for a GNAC showdown with Saint Joseph's College (ME) at 8:00 PM. Anna Maria plays host to Fisher College in non-league play the same night with a 7:00 PM tip.