Six Saints Finish in Double Figures in 78-67 Win vs. Lasell

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel 78 – Lasell 67

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (13-4, 9-0 GNAC)
Lasell University Lasers (6-9, 3-5 GNAC)

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

Date: Thursday, January 19, 2023

THE LEAD – Six Saints finished the night in double figures, as a balanced offense led Emmanuel to a 78-67 victory over Lasell University on Thursday night in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Saints were off and running early with the help of an 11-2 run to open the game in the first three minutes. That early EC edge boosted to a dozen at the midway point of the half, thanks to a three-pointer by first-year Zaire Baines (Queens, N.Y.), that put Emmanuel ahead 26-14.
• The Emmanuel lead continued to increase as the first half wore on thanks to a 15-4 scoring spurt that gave the Saints their largest lead of the first half, 41-22, with 3:05 remaining. The EC halftime lead was one of their largest of the season, with the Saints holding an 18-point advantage into the locker room.
• Coming out of the locker room, it was the Lasers turn to start the half on fire, as Lasell embarked on a 25-8 run over the first 9:03 of the second half, cutting the deficit all the way down to 51-50 with 10:57 remaining. The NCAAs leader in scoring average, Lasell grad student EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.), had 14 points in the run that brought the Lasers to within a point.
• The Saints recovered from the Lasell outburst, scoring the next seven points over 53 seconds, to create some critical breathing room and a 58-50 lead. Senior Kendrick Jean-Francois (Lynn, Mass.) had four points in the run while junior Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) added the other three.
• Emmanuel reestablished their double-digit advantage with 5:44 remaining, but Lasell struck back with a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to four points, 71-67, with 1:55 to go. As they did earlier in the half, the Saints steadied themselves, holding the Lasers off the board over the last 1:55, while scoring the last seven points, on their way to the 78-67 win.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Jean-Francois and Pope each finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Pope added four assists while Jean-Francois came up with a pair of blocks.
• Baines and junior Ryan Grijalva (Stratham, N.H.) each had 12 points on the night.
• Senior Ricky Martin (Sicklerville, N.J.) and junior Bryant Ciccio (Attleboro, Mass.) rounded out the Saints in double figures, as the pair chipped in with 10 points apiece.
• Day led all scorers, finishing the night with 25 points in a full 40 minutes. He added eight rebounds and three assists.
• Senior Demerrick Warren (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) added 17 points and a game-high three steals.
• First-year Quinton Partee Jr. (Roswell, Ga.) finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

UP NEXT

• The Saints are off for the weekend and resume their four-game homestand on Wednesday, Jan. 25, welcoming Rivier for a GNAC game, set for 5:30 p.m.
• The Lasers head for Colby-Sawyer this Saturday, Jan. 21, for a 3:00 p.m. GNAC contest.