Saints Fall to Albertus Magnus in GNAC Opener, 89-72

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -  Behind three double-digit performances from Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.), Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.), and Natasha Rivera (Ansonia, Conn.), the Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team kept its winning streak alive with a  89-72 home victory over the Saints of Emmanuel (Mass.) College Saturday afternoon inside "The Nest".

Murray-Leach had another outstanding performance for the Falcons, recording her third double-double of the year with a season-high 32 points and 11 rebounds. Scott also had a terrific game for the blue-and-white, as the junior guard posted a 27-point performance with six assists and two steals. Rivera rounded out the Falcons' trio of double-digit scorers with a 19-point, six-rebound outing while adding an assist and two steals.     

THE BASICS
Final: Albertus Magnus 89 | Emmanuel (Mass.) 72
Records: Albertus Magnus (5-0, 1-0 GNAC) | Emmanuel (Mass.) (3-2, 0-1 GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Falcons opened the game's scoring with a quick 4-0 push off of a lay-up from Amanda Zdru (Stratford, Conn.) and a made jumper from Scott. 
• Shortly after, Rivera and Murray-Leach each sank lay-ups for the blue-and-white to push the hosts' lead to six, 8-2, with 6:30 remaining.
• The Saints responded with a 4-2 spurt, but a Rivera three expanded the Falcons' lead to seven, 13-6.
• Zdru nailed a three with 2:17 left to play in the quarter before the Falcons closed out the stanza with a 4-2 run off of made free throws from Scott and Rivera to take a 20-10 lead after the first. 
• AMC wasted no time in the second, erupting from the short break with a 7-0 run that expanded its lead to 27-10. 
• The Saints retaliated with a quick 6-0 push before the Falcons stormed back with their own 6-0 run off of four points from Murray-Leach and two from Scott to extend the lead to 33-16 with 3:14 left in the half. 
• Emmanuel answered with a 9-3 run to cut the Falcons' lead to nine, 36-25, with less than a minute remaining in the half, but a Diamond White (Hamden, Conn.) lay-up sent the teams into the halftime break with AMC holding the 38-25 advantage. 
• The Falcons opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run increasing their lead to 20, 45-25, before a Saints' trey made it a 17-point game with 7:03 left to play in the third. 
• The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter and transitioned into the fourth quarter with the blue-and-white holding onto a 14-point lead, 61-47. 
• The back-and-forth action carried over into the final stanza before the Saints put together a 5-0 push to cut the deficit to seven, 69-62, with just over six minutes remaining in regulation. 
• A Murray-Leach trey ignited a 10-4 surge that put the Falcons ahead by double-digits, 79-66, with 4:02 left on the clock. 
• The Saints retaliated with a 6-2 run to cut the deficit back down to single digits, 81-72, but were unable to overcome the Falcons, who put together an 8-0 push over the final minutes of regulation to seal the 89-72 GNAC victory.    

TEAM STATS
Albertus - 43.3 % FG | 29.6 % 3PT | 85.2 % FT
Emmanuel - 37.7 % FG | 26.3 % 3PT | 65.2 % FT

KEY PERFORMERS

Albertus:
Jakara Murray-Leach - 32 points (11-25 FG, 3-10 3PT,7-9 FT) | 11 rebounds | 3 assists | 1 steal | 3 blocks  
Caitlyn Scott - 27 points (8-18 FG, 3-8 3PT, 8-9 FT) | 1 rebound | 6 assists | 2 steals 
Natasha Rivera - 19 points (6-13 FG, 1-6 3PT, 6-7 FT) | 6 rebounds | 1 assist | 2 steals  

Emmanuel (Mass.):
Yannie Chan - 27 points (8-17 FG, 5-11 3PT, 6-7 FT) | 7 rebounds | 3 assists | 1 steal | 2 blocks 
Shakirah Ketant - 12 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-4 FT) | 8 rebounds | 3 blocks   

NOTEWORTHY

• The Falcons are now 3-29 all-time against the Saints.
• The 27 point outing for Chan is a new career-high for the sophomore before fouling out while Ketant's 12 points also set a new career standard for the junior.
• The last time Albertus defeated Emmanuel (Mass.) was back on November 29, 1994, as the Falcons defeated the Saints at home, 71-60. 
• This was the first time since 2017 that Emmanuel opened GNAC play with a loss, going 51-3 in conference action since the opening defeat to Saint Joseph's ME in the 17-18 season.
• Murray-Leach recorded her fourth game of the season with 20+ points, Rivera had a season-high 19 points and Scott had a season-high 27 points. 
• Despite the loss, EC dominated the glass with a 53-34 (+19) advantage on the day.
• With today's victory, head coach JR Fredette has 145 wins at the helm of the Albertus Magnus College women's basketball squad. 

UP NEXT

- EC is back on the road on Tuesday, Dec. 6 for another difficult contest vs. Trinity (CT) in Hartford, Conn. in a 7:30 non-conference affair.
- The Falcons continue GNAC play on Wednesday, Dec. 7, with a road tilt against the Bulldogs of Dean College. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM inside the Pieri Gymnasium in Franklin, Mass.  

*Release content courtesy of Albertus Magnus College Athletic Communications staff