SAINTS USE BALANCED ATTACK TO HANDLE RAMS AT HOME

BOSTON, Mass. - Eleven different players tallied points for the Emmanuel College men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon as the Saints took down cross-city rival Suffolk, 68-58 at the Emmanuel College Gymnasium.

The Saints (4-14, 4-8 GNAC) used a balanced effort on both sides of the floor to open things up throughout the middle portion of the first half. With the game tied at 5-5, the Saints went on a 14-4 run capped off by an Alex Minetti (Wakefield, R.I.) three-pointer to make the score 19-9 and cause Suffolk (2-10, 4-15 GNAC) to use a timeout. 

The teams traded buckets out of the timeout, and then Emmanuel turned it on and buried the Rams in the remainder of the half. Junior guard Kyle Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) had five points and four assists to spark a 14-3 run over just 58 seconds. Due to the run, the Saints were able to cruise into the lockerroom with their biggest halftime lead of the season at 39-21.

Suffolk shifted gears out of the break, beginning the half on a 10-0 run to cut the EC lead to 39-31. The Saints neutralized Suffolk's attack and did not allow the Rams to get closer than eight points for the remainder of the game.

Senior Kyle Davis (Groveland, Mass.) provided a team-high 14 points off the bench and pulled down six rebounds. Fellow senior John Clay had a huge day on the glass, grabbing 15 rebounds and picking up nine points.

Smith was a key for the Saints once again, scoring 12 points and dishing out eight assists in 22 minutes on the court. 

The Rams were led by Matt Duquette, who poured in 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting.  Freshman Michael Hagopian nailed four three-pointers and tallied 13 points on the afternoon. Caleb Unni also found his range from long distance, as the senior had four threes of his own in a 12-point outing.

The Rams shot 34.5 (19-55) percent for the game, and committed 12 turnovers, which led to nine Saints points. 

Suffolk heads to Paxton, Massachusetts on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7:00 p.m. The Saints are back in action on Monday evening, as #25 Wesleyan comes to town for a non-conference battle at 7:00 p.m. at the Emmanuel College Gymnasium.