Strong Guard Play Lifts Women’s Hoops Past MIT in Home-Opener, 60-52

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel guard trio of senior Caitlin Barker (Plainville, Conn.), junior Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) and first year Angelina Giordano (Chicago, Ill.) combined for 31 points to lift the Saints past visiting MIT, 60-52, Saturday afternoon in EC’s home-opener at the Andy Yosinoff Court.

Strong Guard Play Lifts Women’s Hoops Past MIT in Home-Opener, 60-52
Program Video Box Score

Team Stats

November 12, 2022

THE BASICS 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 52 vs. Emmanuel College, 60

Records: 
Emmanuel Saints (1-0, 0-0 GNAC)
MIT Engineers (0-2, 0-0 NEWMAC)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Saturday, November 12, 2022

THE LEAD – The Emmanuel guard trio of senior Caitlin Barker (Plainville, Conn.), junior Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) and first year Angelina Giordano (Chicago, Ill.) combined for 31 points to lift the Saints past visiting MIT, 60-52, Saturday afternoon in EC's home-opener at the Andy Yosinoff Court.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Engineers got out to a quick start taking a 9-2 lead only 2:32 into the action following a pair of free throws by first-year forward Brianna Lebrun (Hartford, Conn.) before the Saints battled back to even the score at 12-12 on a layup by junior forward Allison Wild (Tewksbury, Mass.). The squads traded hoops to the end of the quarter with Barker draining a pair from the charity stripe with six seconds left to account for a 21-20 Emmanuel lead after one.
  • EC opened up an eight point lead following a Matela three with 2:53 left in the half to move the score to 31-23 but MIT responded with a 7-1 flurry to end the quarter to make it a single possession game at the break in favor of the Saints, 32-30.
  • The visitors came out of halftime outscoring the hosts 8-2 over the first five minutes of play to regain the lead at 38-34 following a layup by sophomore Kamsi Nwogu (Algonquin, Ill.) but EC answered with five quick points to retake the lead at 39-38 after a free throw by first year Megan Reilly (Southbury, Conn.) with 2:06 left in the frame. MIT sophomore Elise Harvey (Wayland, Mass.) connected on one of two from the line to tie things up at 39-all before Matela gave Emmanuel the lead for good with a deep three-ball with 1:43 to play in the third, fueling the Saints 47-42 lead through three.
  • Matela bumped the EC lead to seven (51-44) with a layup with 7:58 left in regulation but over the next two minutes, MIT fired off six straight points after a layup from sophomore Ange Choi (Cypress, Calif.) made it a 51-50 game with 6:39 to play.
  • With 5:34 remaining, Nwogu had a chance to give the Engineers the lead from the line but missed both chances allowing junior Kiera Eubanks (Portland, Maine) to bump the EC lead to 53-50 on the next possession.
  • Both squads struggled to find an offensive rhythm down the stretch but another triple from Matela with 41 seconds remaining sealed the 60-52 win for the Saints in their home-opener.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  • Barker finished the game with a team-high 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting including a 2-for-3 performance from behind the arc while Matela added 11 points, connecting on a game-high three triples.
  • Giordano stuffed the stat-sheet in her collegiate debut with eight points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals over 32 minutes of action.
  • Choi led all scorers with 15 points while Nwogu added 11 points and eight rebounds. Lebrun was one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
  • The Saints outscored the Engineers in all four quarters of play.
  • EC held MIT to a 29.2% shoot clip on the day including a dismal 10.5% from long range.
  • Both squads struggled to take care of the ball as Emmanuel committed 29 turnovers while the Engineers turned it over 24 times.
  • EC owned a 40-33 rebound advantage in the victory.
  • The win marks the 10th consecutive season the program has opened a new campaign with a victory in their home-opener.

UP NEXT

  • Emmanuel is now idle until Saturday, November 19 when they face off against Medgar Evers at 3:00 PM in the 39th Annual EC Tip-Off Classic. Prior to the start of the contest, the Emmanuel athletic department will honor Louis Yosinoff, Coach Andy Yosinoff's father and long-time Saints supporter who passed away in 2017, with a dedication of the bleachers. Along with honoring Louis, the Bleacher Dedication will also honor all of the generous donors that helped make the restoration project possible through their financial support.
  • MIT returns to the hardwood on Tuesday, November 15 vs. Westfield State University at 7:00 PM in their home-opener in Cambridge, Mass.