Men’s Basketball Beats No. 22 Wesleyan, 72-68, For First-Ever Win vs. Ranked Team

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel 72 – No. 22 Wesleyan 68

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (2-3)
Wesleyan University Cardinals (1-3)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Jean Yawkey Center / Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Tuesday, November 22, 2022

THE LEAD – For the first time in program history, the Emmanuel Saints men's basketball program has defeated a ranked opponent after beating No. 22 Wesleyan University, 72-68, on Tuesday night in non-conference play in the last game before Thanksgiving Break.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The second half came down to the final 6:07 for Emmanuel to win their first game against a ranked opponent in team history. Despite the Saints opening up a nine-point lead, their largest of the second half, the Cardinals wouldn't go into Thanksgiving Break quietly.
• Saints junior Ryan Grijalva (Stratham, N.H.) made a long two-point shot with 6:07 left to give EC a 55-46 lead. Answering back for Wesleyan was the combo of senior Gabe Ravetz (New York, N.Y.) and sophomore Nicky Johnson (Lexington, Mass.). Ravetz and Johnson combined for the next eight Cardinals points, answered only by a Grijalva layup, leading to a 58-54 EC advantage.
• For each basket Wesleyan would cut the deficit with, the Saints would respond with made shot after made shot. Ravetz got WU within three at 62-59, but junior Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) answered with a contested layup at the rim, putting Emmanuel back ahead by five. Another three for Ravetz put the Cardinals down 64-62, but Grijalva would be the one to answer, making his own contested lay-in, putting EC up 66-62 with 38 seconds remaining.
• Traded baskets kept the Saints up four and after a Ravetz three-pointer missed, an offensive rebound for Wesleyan eventually ended up in the hands of Johnson, in the right corner. His highly contested, off-balance three-pointer found the net, as the Cardinals now trailed 68-67 with 6.8 seconds to go.
• Grijalva was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play, but the pressure didn't phase the junior guard, as he knocked down both of his free throws to give EC a three-point lead. The same could be said for senior Kendrick Jean-Francois (Lynn, Mass.) after rebounding a missed free throw by the Cardinals, he knocked down two more foul shots, putting the game out of reach with 3.2 seconds remaining. A late-second desperation Cardinals three-point shot came up short, as the Saints go into Thanksgiving Break with the 72-68 win.
• The Saints came out of the gates quickly, starting the game with a 12-4 run, on 5-of-8 shooting, in the opening 3:50. Wesleyan answered back, cutting the deficit to four, but the Saints would get their largest lead of the game thanks to a 22-11 run through the middle of the half, helping EC to a 34-19 edge with 5:20 left in the half.
• From there, the Cardinals defense stiffened, allowing just one point to the Saints over the last five minutes, as a 13-1 surge to end the half, capped by a buzzer-beating, three-pointer by Johnson, left WU trailing 35-32, at halftime.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Pope led the Saints with 19 points and 13 rebounds. The junior was one of five Saints that scored in double figures, as he added seven assists in the win.
• Jean-Francois ended with career-highs of 13 points, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and eight rebounds.
• Grijalva, senior Ted Weber (Orange, Conn.), and junior Bryant Ciccio (Attleboro, Mass.) all chipped in with 11 points.
• Johnson had a game-high 25 points to go with eight rebounds and eight assists, in a full 40 minutes.
• Ravetz finished with 18 points, all on made three-point field goals, shooting 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.
• The Cardinals final 22 points were scored by either Johnson or Ravetz as the duo combined to shoot 7-of-10 in the final 5:45. In total, Ravetz scored a dozen of the final 22, leaving Johnson responsible for the other 10 points.

UP NEXT

• The Saints hit the Thanksgiving break at 2-3 and return to play on Thursday, Dec. 1, traveling to MIT for a 7:00 p.m. game with the Engineers.
• The Cardinals come back from Thanksgiving for a game on Saturday, Nov. 26, hosting Farmingdale State at 2:00 p.m. in the Silloway Gym.