LIONS CLAW BACK TO NIP SAINTS, 60-49

BOSTON, Mass. – Emerson College extended its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) win-streak to four games with a 60-49 win over Emmanuel College in a cross-town rivalry played in the Jean Yawkey Center on Tuesday night.  The visiting Lions overcame a double-figure first-half deficit, fighting back to take the win, as they improve to 13-9 on the season and 11-4 in the league.  Emmanuel drops to 4-18 overall and 4-11 in GNAC play.

The host Saints held the momentum in the early-going, surging out to a 17-7 lead after a three-pointer by Michael Connor Morgan with 12:33 on the clock.  The Saints got out in front by as many as twelve points at 19-7, holding the Lions to just three field goals through the opening fourteen minutes of action.

With Emmanuel out in front by twelve at 25-13 with 4:48 left in the half, the Lions went on an 11-5 run to close out the period and headed into the locker room trailing by six, 30-24.  Emerson's sophomore forward Patrick Lowndes (Granby, Conn.) converted consecutive and-ones for the Lions during the stretch.

Lowndes led Emerson with 13 points at the half off of 5-7 shooting.  Senior guard Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) led the Saints with 11 first-half points.  Emmanuel's 30-24 halftime advantage was due in part to the Saints' five first-half trifectas, including two from Mailhot and two from Morgan.

Out of the break, the Saints quickly went back up by nine at 34-25, after a pair of free throws from Brandon Jones (Windsor, Conn.) at 18:15.  Emmanuel would convert just one field goal over the next three minutes, a baseline jumper by D.J. Fazio (Methuen, Mass.).  During this span, the Lions took advantage of Emmanuel fouls, knocking down four free throws and cut their deficit to three at 38-35 with left to 14:15 to play.

After an Emerson layup by Michael Carbone (North Reading, Mass.), Michael Thorpe (Newton, Mass.) drained a pair from the line, tying the score at 40-all with 10:26 to go.  The game would see two more ties over the next three minutes of play, before Emerson took the lead for good on a pair of freebies from Tyson Hallowell (Lincoln, Mass.) at 6:46.  The Lions then went on a 17-6 run to close out the game and came away with the 60-49 win.

The Saints committed 29 fouls on the night, sending the Lions to the line 35 times.  Emerson shot 62.9% (22-35) from the stripe, while the Saints hit 14-19 (73.7%).  Free throws and forced turnovers were the keys to the game for the Lions.  Emerson forced 23 Emmanuel errors, scoring 24 points off the Saints' turnovers.

Both teams shot poorly from the field with Emerson at 18-53 (34%) and Emmanuel at 15-55 (27.3%).  The Saints won the battle of the boards, 46-36.

Lowndes finished with a game-high 21 points, hitting 7-11 from the field and 7-10 from the line, while hauling in 8 rebounds.  Thorpe added 12 points and Hallowell chipped in with 9 in the win for the Lions.

Senior guard Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Saints with 18 points and 9 rebounds.  Mailhot added 13, while freshman center Donavon DuMay (Coweta, Okla.) ripped down 9 rebounds for Emmanuel.

Emmanuel will travel to Lasell on Saturday for a GNAC match-up with the Lasers beginning at 4:00 PM.  Emerson will host Suffolk on Saturday in a 1:00 PM start.