Men’s Basketball Clinches GNAC North in 82-74 Senior Day Win vs. SJC

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Emmanuel 82 – Saint Joseph's (Maine) 74

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (16-7, 12-3 GNAC)
Saint Joseph's College Monks (12-11, 8-7 GNAC)

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

Date: Saturday, February 11, 2023

THE LEAD – For the first time in team history, the Emmanuel men's basketball program clinched the regular season title in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference North Division thanks to an 82-74 win over Saint Joseph's of Maine on Saturday afternoon on ECs Senior Day.

Prior to the game, Emmanuel Athletics and the men's basketball program recognized seniors Kendrick Jean-Francois (Lynn, Mass.), Mike Jean-Louis (Randolph, Mass.), Brendan Kade (Summerville, S.C.), Ricky Martin (Sicklerville, N.J.), and Ted Weber (Orange, Conn.) for their contributions to the program.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Saints were out to a quick 10-point lead, starting Senior Day on a 15-5 run over the first 6:41 of the first half. Junior Bryant Ciccio (Attleboro, Mass.) scored six points in the run while Weber chipped in with another five.
• Emmanuel tacked on to that advantage through the middle of the half, using another big run, this time of 19-4 over a span of 5:35, to take a 36-16. The Saints would lead by as many as 21, late in the half, eventually taking a 41-22 lead into the locker room.
• The Saints maintained and added on to the lead in the second half, thanks to a 13-4 run that gave them their largest lead of the afternoon at 67-38. First-year Zaire Baines (Queens, N.Y.) and Weber each had four points in the run that gave EC the 29-point edge.
• Despite time running low, St. Joseph's would not give in over the last 8:07, making a major run at coming back on the Saints. Monks graduate Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) and senior Bryton Early (Rollinsford, N.H.) would help SJC with a major spark, being the catalysts in a 43-11 scoring spree that cut the deficit all the way down to 78-71 with 1:08 remaining. Curtis had 14 points in that run, including four makes from beyond the arc while Early had nine points on a trio of threes.
• Emmanuel weathered the storm put up by the Monks and free throws down the stretch helped clinch Saturday's game and a GNAC North Division title.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• All five Saints seniors found the scoresheet on Saturday, led by Weber with 15. Martin finished with a dozen, Jean-Francois added four, and Kade and Jean-Louis had two points, each.
• Baines led the Saints with 16 points in 20 minutes off the bench. The first-year guard scored the majority of his points at the line, shooting 10-of-16 at the charity stripe.
• Ciccio had 11 points with the help of 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc while junior Donte Pope Middletown, Conn.) finished with 10 points.
• Curtis finished with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-for-9 shooting from three-point range.
• Graduate Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) had 16 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the floor. Foley added a game-high six assists.
• Early had 12 points in just 11 minutes off the Monks bench, shooting 4-of-6 from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT

• The Saints wrap up their regular season with a pair of road games this week, starting with a Feb. 14 game at Anna Maria at 7:00 p.m., followed by a Feb. 18 game with Rivier at 3:00 p.m.
• The Monks end their regular season with two home games, starting with a Feb. 14 game with Regis at 7:30 p.m., followed with SJC Senior Day on Feb. 18 vs. Elms at 3:00 p.m.