Strong Second Half Propels Saints Past Mariners 74-62

BOSTON – Emmanuel Men's Basketball (7-10, 3-3 GNAC) picked up their third Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory of the season with a 74-62 win over the Mitchell College Mariners on Saturday afternoon (5-12, 2-4 GNAC) on Andy Yosinoff Court.

The Saints jumped out to an early 6-0 lead and extended that lead to 12-2 less than five minutes into the matchup. After a Mitchell timeout, the visitors held their own. The Saints were unable to expand their lead beyond 10. The Mariners began to work their way back into the matchup, shrinking the lead slowly throughout the remainder of the half. A Byron Dunn (Westerly, R.I.) layup saw the Saints' lead cut to two points with just under four minutes left before the halftime horn. Thanks to a Bryant Ciccio (Attleboro, Mass.) jump-shot in the final seconds, the Saints got the lead back to two possessions before the break and headed into the locker room with a 35-31 advantage.

A 12-4 run in the first four minutes of the second half allowed the Saints to open up a 12-point advantage. The Saints never led by less than nine points throughout the remainder of the game. A Mahari Guerrier (Stoughton, Mass.) layup with just over eight minutes to go extended the home team's lead to a game-high fifteen points. The Saints went on to defeat the visiting Mariners 74-62.

21 rebounds for Guerrier marked a career-high to go along with his 10 points. Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) led the Saints with 20 points. For Mitchell, Jaylen Clardy (Pensacola, Fla.) led all scorers with 31 points. It was Clardy's second consecutive 30+ point effort after the junior guard posted 34 points on Thursday (1/18) against Wesleyan.

The Saints outrebounded the Mariners 49-31 in the matchup, good enough for season-highs in total rebounds (49), rebounding margin (+18), and offensive rebounds (17). Emmanuel also posted a season-high in assists with 20.

Up next, Mitchell will return home for a GNAC matchup with the University of St. Joseph's (CT) on Wednesday (1/24) at 7:00 P.M. The Saints will face a visit from GNAC foe Regis College on Wednesday (1/14). The game will be played as a part of the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer – Suits and Sneakers Week. Follow @EC_Saints on Instagram for more information in the coming days.