Chan Sparks 73-69 Comeback Win Over Monks

THE BASICS 
Emmanuel College, 73 vs. Saint Joseph's College (ME), 69

Records: 
Emmanuel Saints (18-5, 12-2 GNAC)
St. Joseph's Monks (18-5, 12-2 GNAC)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Saturday, February 11, 2023

THE LEAD – Sophomore guard Yannie Chan (Hong Kong, China) sparked Emmanuel College's 73-69 comeback win over Saint Joseph's College (ME) on Saturday afternoon scoring a game-high 26 points including 16 in the second half in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's hoops showdown in Boston.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Emmanuel trailed 53-47 with 1:23 to play in the third quarter following a layup by SJM first year Logan Brown (Brunswick, Maine) before the Saints closed out the quarter with a 7-0 flurry capped by a three at the buzzer by Chan to pull the hosts on top, 54-53 heading into the fourth.
• The Monks stopped the EC charge early in the fourth with an 8-3 spurt to regain a 61-57 advantage with eight minutes remaining in regulation.
• Saint Joseph's held the advantage for the first half of the final quarter but Emmanuel kept the score in check, never allowing the Monks to pull away by matching scores until Chan connected on a pullup three with 4:26 on the clock to put the Saints back on top at 67-65. EC junior center Shakirah Ketant (Easton, Mass.) added a score to move the lead to four at 69-65 with less than four to play.
• SJM junior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) scored the game's next four points including a triple to even the score at 69-69 with 1:27 remaining but on the ensuing possession, Chan buried a contested three from the right wing to give Emmanuel the lead for good at 72-69 with 1:15 to play.
• Saint Joseph's had three attempts to even the score over the final minute but were denied and a late free throw from EC junior guard Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) clinched the 73-69 victory.
• The Monks got out to a hot start in the match, opening the game with an 8-0 run before Emmanuel settled into the flow and closed the quarter with a 20-19 lead behind eight points off the bench from sophomore forward Desiree Robinson (New Haven, Conn.).
• Saint Joseph's regained the lead in the second quarter, leading by as many as seven (29-22) before Emmanuel cut the halftime deficit to 33-31 with a late charge fueled by hoops from Ketant and Chan on the final two minutes of the half.
• EC opened the second half with an 8-2 run to flip momentum and the lead to 39-35 but the Monks responded scoring the next 10 points to move the needle to 45-39 in their favor, setting the stage for Chan's second half fireworks.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Chan stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points on a 9-for-15 performance going 5-for-6 from downtown, 4-for-4 in the second half. She added seven assists, five rebounds and three steals.
• Ketant finished the day with a career-high 14 points on an efficient 7-for-8 day from the field, collecting seven boards in the win. Robinson was one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 and nine for the Saints.
• N. Howe paced the Monks with 19 points while junior Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) and first year Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) each dropped 14 in the defeat.
• SJM junior Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) grabbed a game-high 10 boards despite Emmanuel out-rebounding the Monks by a 46-33 margin.
• EC improves to 24-8 all-time vs. SJM and has won seven of the last eight in the career series.
• With the win, Emmanuel pulls even at the top of the GNAC North Division with the Monks with one week remaining in the regular-season. If both teams were to win out, the tie-breaker for the No. 1 in the North would come down to a coin-flip based on the GNAC Basketball bylaws.

UP NEXT

• The Saints hit the road for their final two games of the regular-season, returning to the court on Tuesday, February 14 for a 5:00 PM tilt at Anna Maria College followed by a 1:00 PM affair vs. Rivier on Saturday.
• The Monks host Regis on Tuesday in a 5:30 PM match-up followed by their Senior Day game on Saturday vs. Elms at 1:00 PM.

OF NOTE

• Prior to the game, Emmanuel Athletics and the women's basketball program recognized senior Cait Barker (Plainville, Conn.) for her contributions to the program over her career. The department also honored EC Dance Team seniors Nicole Heniger, Charlotte Foss and Vanessa Rene during the ceremony.