SPELLMAN'S THREE WINS IT FOR EMMANUEL
Feb. 16, 2008
Providence, R.I. - Junior forward Mack Spellman (Clinton, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer with six seconds left to give Emmanuel a 55-54 victory over Johnson & Wales University in Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball action at the Harborside Recreation Center on Saturday evening.
Johnson & Wales jumped out to an early 12-5 advantage after a three pointer by Kerr with 14:48 left in the opening half. Emmanuel responded, tying the game at 16-16 on a lay-up by freshman guard Torrey Joyner (Bridgeport, Conn.) with 9:42 left in the half. JWU then used a 10-0 run to take the 26-16 advantage with 5:24 on the clock. The Wildcats took the 30-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Emmanuel kicked off the second half with a 14-6 run and tied the game at 36-36 on a Bustamante lay-up with 13:53 remaining in the contest. The two teams then traded leads with the Wildcats holding a 54-52 advantage after senior Charlie Ware (Baltimore, Md.) made the first of two free throws with 17 seconds left on the clock. Ware missed the second and Emmanuel controlled the rebound. Spellman's three-pointer with six seconds left gave the visiting Saints the 55-54 lead. The Wildcats would have one last chance, but a Kerr jumper hit off the side of the rim as Emmanuel held on for the win.
Spellman recorded his second double-double of the week with 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the visiting Saints. Junior forward Andres Bustamante (Amherst, Mass.) scored eight points and added nine boards for Emmanuel in the victory.
For Johnson & Wales, senior Japhet Kerr (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.) tallied 15 points and added five assists, three rebounds and three steals while sophomore Darren Faust (Queens, N.Y.) had 15 points and five boards in the setback.
With this win, Emmanuel improved to 16-7 overall and 14-2 in the GNAC, while the Wildcats fell to 14-9 overall and 11-5 in the conference. The Wildcats will return to action on Tuesday, February 19th when they host Rivier in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference match-up that begins at 7:00 p.m. Emmanuel will play again on Tuesday night, when the Saints travel across town to take on the Lions of Emerson College in a 7pm start. This is one of the last regular season games for both teams and could determine the top seed for the upcoming GNAC tournament.