Pope Hits 1,000-Point Mark in 77-69 Tip-Off Consolation Game Win vs. Skidmore
BOSTON – Two games after going for 20 points and 20 rebounds, becoming just the third Saint in program history to accomplish that feat, senior Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) became the 11th player in team history to reach 1,000 career points, scoring a game-high 25 points, giving him 1,009 in his career, helping the Saints to a 77-69 win over Skidmore in the Consolation Game of the Emmanuel Tip-Off Classic.
BOSTON – After going for 20 points and 20 rebounds earlier in the week, becoming just the third Saint in program history to accomplish that feat, senior Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) became the 11th player in team history to reach 1,000 career points, scoring a game-high 25 points, giving him 1,009 in his career, helping the Saints to a 77-69 win over Skidmore in the Consolation Game of the Emmanuel Tip-Off Classic.
In a closely contested first 14 minutes, the Saints and Thoroughbreds stayed within two possessions of each other, eventually leading to an Emmanuel 23-21 lead in the middle of the first half. The Saints caught fire to end the period, using a 21-10 run over the final 6:42 to hold a 44-31 halftime advantage. Senior Ryan Grijalva (Stratham, N.H.) had 11 points in the run that helped Emmanuel lead by a baker's dozen at the break.
The Saints expanded on the lead, boosting their edge to as many as 20 in the second half, leading comfortably at 55-35 with 12:12 remaining.
Emmanuel held onto that comfortable advantage through the middle of the second half, leading 67-48 with 7:07 remaining. But the challenge from Skidmore was far from over as the 19-point deficit was nearly erased down the stretch.
The Thoroughbreds charge toward the lead came with the help of a 17-2 scoring spree over nearly six minutes, cutting the seemingly insurmountable deficit down to 69-65 with 1:11 to go.
Skidmore got the defensive stop they were looking for with under one minute to play, but a loose ball on the ground eventually turned into a traveling violation, keeping the Emmanuel lead at four.
Free throws proved vital down the stretch as the Saints shot 8-of-10 from the foul line in the final 49.1 seconds, holding off the strong Thoroughbreds charge in their 77-69 win.
Pope joins the likes of Rob Williams-Hinton ('09), Mack Spellman ('09), Emmett Riddick (20'), Xavier Everson ('13), Isaiah Duke ('12), Bobby Brown ('05), Levi Smith ('08), Joe Tamburro ('19), Albert Hayle ('05), and Marcus Fox ('21) as the only other members of the 1,000-point club.
The newest member of the club added 15 rebounds and shot 11-of-13 from the foul line on the night. Grijalva chipped in with 14 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes. Sophomore Ismani Cepeda (Roslindale, Mass.) had another strong effort off the bench, adding 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 20 minutes.
Skidmore first-year Charlie Fantom (Norwell, Mass.) finished with a team-high 22 points in a game-high 35 minutes. Fellow first-year Nick Padilla (Harlem, N.Y.) added 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting, playing 27 minutes off the bench.
The Saints (3-2) are off for the Thanksgiving Break and return to play on Nov. 28, starting a three-game road trip with a game at Williams College at 7:00 p.m.
