2012-13 MEN'S BASKETBALL SEASON IN REVIEW
BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men’s basketball team wrapped up the 2012-13 season with a 6-20 overall record, going 6-12 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play to earn their second consecutive trip to the GNAC playoffs at the No. 8 seed. The Saints were almost able to pull off the unthinkable with a first-round upset of No. 1 Anna Maria College, leading by two late in the action before the AMCats prevailed, 85-76, to end the year.
BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's basketball team wrapped up the 2012-13 season with a 6-20 overall record, going 6-12 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play to earn their second consecutive trip to the GNAC playoffs at the No. 8 seed. The Saints were almost able to pull off the unthinkable with a first-round upset of No. 1 Anna Maria College, leading by two late in the action before the AMCats prevailed, 85-76, to end the year.
EC opened its campaign with two tough out-of-conference opponents on the road, facing No. 1 MIT and No. 25 Wesleyan University before returning home for their home-opener on Dec. 1 vs. Mount Ida College. The Saints were able to hold on for the 74-73 GNAC victory, led by a strong shooting performance from senior guard Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) who finished with 16 points.
The remainder of December was a tough stretch for the Saints that saw the team go on a six-game losing skid heading into the New Year. Emmanuel dropped a highly contested GNAC battle to Johnson & Wales on Dec. 8, falling 70-67 despite having four starters record double-figures. Down in West Palm Beach, Fla. at the Chuck Daly Classic, Emmanuel fell in both its contests to wrap up its first semester with a disappointing 1-8 record.
The Saints kicked off 2013 with a much needed win, downing Suffolk University 97-87 behind a milestone day for senior forward Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.). Everson scored 16 points to go along with seven rebounds and during the action, scored his 1,000th career point while also recording his 500th career rebound to become just the sixth player in program history to accomplish both milestones. Junior guards Brandon Jones (Windsor, Conn.) and Josh Welles (Philadelphia, Pa.) also added 16 points apiece in the win.
Emmanuel's third conference win came on Jan. 10 in an 81-77 victory over Lasell College that saw Everson notch a monster double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds. A week later on Jan. 17, EC was able to top Suffolk for the second time on the year, registering an important 87-84 road win to stay in the GNAC playoff picture. Again it was Everson leading the way with 27 points but following the win, Emmanuel went cold, dropping eight consecutive games including three one-point GNAC defeats.
The squad regrouped and finished the regular season strong, winning back-to-back games for the first time all season with a 78-66 win over Lasell on Feb. 14 followed by a 67-59 win over Norwich University on senior day when the Saints honored seniors Connor Morgan (Glocester, R.I.), Mailhot and Everson.
With six GNAC victories, the Saints secured the No. 8 seed and would draw No. 1 Anna Maria. In an earlier season meeting, the AMCats needed a last-second bucket to top the Saints, 55-54, so Emmanuel knew it would be able to compete in the Quarterfinals matchup. Following a three by Morgan, the Saints led 74-72 with less than four minutes remaining but were unable to hold on as Anna Maria came out with the 85-76 win. Morgan finished the game with a career-high 33 points on 13-15 shooting.
Everson was named to the All-GNAC Second Team and graduates ranked third all-time in Men's Basketball history with 1,302 points and 626 rebounds.