Sophomores Shine in 99-69 GNAC Tourney Win Over Dean

THE BASICS 

Score: 
No. 5 - Emmanuel College, 99
No. 12 - Dean College, 69

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (15-10)
Dean College Bulldogs (8-17)

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

Date: Tuesday, February 22, 2022

THE LEAD – Sophomores Ryan Grijalva (Stratham, N.H.), Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) and Bryant Ciccio (Attleboro, Mass.) combined for 48 points while shooting a combined 61% from the field to power No. 5 Emmanuel College past No. 12 Dean College, 99-69, in the Opening Round of the 2022 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball tournament on Tuesday evening in Boston, Mass.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• EC trailed 4-0 early but responded with a 12-0 run capped by a Grijalva layup to take control at 12-4 at the 15:44 marker.
• The Bulldogs evened the score at 12-12 on a deep triple by senior Traijan Powell (Sierra Vista, Ariz.) triggering a series of possessions where the squads traded baskets all the way to a 27-26 score in favor of Dean with 8:43 to play in the first half.
• A triple by grad student Dakota Wheeler (Easthampton, Mass.) with 7:59 on the clock put Emmanuel on top for good at 29-27 as the Saints exploded for 27 points over the final eight minutes of the opening stanza to carry a comfortable 53-37 lead into the break.
• Grijalva, Ciccio and Pope opened the second half with consecutive baskets including a fast break dunk by Pope to build the Emmanuel lead to 60-37 and ignite the home crowd.
• Dean was unable to put together any significant run to make it a game as the Saints cruised down the stretch for the 99-69 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Grijalva and Pope finished the night with a team-high 17 points each while Ciccio chipped in with 14 in the win.
• Wheeler also finished in double-figures with 12 points on a 4-of-5 shooting performance from downtown while senior guard Devon Pulsifer (Winthrop, Mass.) added 11 points.
• Powell led all scorers with 20 points on an 8-of-19 shooting performance for the Bulldogs.
• Dean sophomore forward Marquist Muse (Franklin, N.J.) netted a season-high 15 points in 24 minutes off the bench while first year guard Dion Zhuta (Middlebury, Conn.) contributed 14 points.
• The Saints finished the night with a season-high 27 assists marking the third-highest single-game total in program history as grad student Zachary Crisafulli (Easthampton, Mass.) dished out six helpers while Ciccio, Grijalva and Wheeler all recorded four assists each.
• EC netted 15 threes in the victory coming just one shy of the single-game record. They finished the night 15-of-28 for a season-best 53.6 shooting percentage from downtown.
• The 99 points matches a season-high while the 53-point first half was just the second half all season the Saints eclipsed 50 points in a stanza.
• The Saints also owned a 40-27 advantage in rebounds to move on in the GNAC tourney.

UP NEXT

• Emmanuel advances to the GNAC Quarterfinals and faces No. 4 Anna Maria College tomorrow (February 23) in Paxton, Mass. at 7:00 PM.
• The loss ends the Bulldogs 2021-22 campaign.