SAINTS HOLD OFF LATE SURGE FOR 76-69 WIN OVER RIVIER

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's basketball team held on for a 76-69 Great Northeast Athletic Conference victory over Rivier University Saturday afternoon at the Jean Yawkey Center Gymnasium. The Saints, who led by as many as 17 in the first half, surrendered the lead midway through the second stanza only to come back and hold on for the win to improve to 6-15 overall and 6-8 in GNAC play. The loss drops the Raiders to 3-18 and 3-11 in the GNAC.

The Saints controlled the first half action, holding Rivier to a 28.6% shooting percentage from the field. Freshman swingman Will Jessup (Westwood, Mass.) gave Emmanuel its largest lead of the afternoon, converting a jumper with 7:25 to play in the opening half to lift EC to a 30-13 cushion. Rivier would close the half strong to get back in the game going on a 20-12 run over the final six minutes to cut the score to single digits at 42-33 heading into the intermission.

The Raiders momentum carried over to start the second stanza as the visitors opened the frame with an 11-2 run fueled by back-to-back buckets by junior forward Kevin Francis (Cromwell, Conn.) to cut the lead to 46-44 with 15:34 to play.

Emmanuel opened up a three possession lead following a pair of free throws by senior center Kyle Davis (Groveland, Mass.) with 10:48 on the clock to put the hosts on top 55-48 but Rivier responded with a 9-0 flurry fueled by five points from senior guard Cullen Donovan (Wethersfield, Conn.) including a huge three to tie the game at 55-all. Senior guard Lance Handy (Easton, Mass.) capped the run with a layup in transition to give the Raiders their first lead of the afternoon at 57-55 with 7:17 left to play.

The squads would trade hoops to a 61-61 score before Jessup gave the Saints the lead for good, converting a layup with 3:41 to play to make it 63-61. After forcing a turnover, Jessup buried a huge three in transition to make it a five point game at 66-61. Handy cut it down to a single possession with a layup at the 2:54 marker to pull the Raiders to within three at 66-63 but it would be the closest they would get as the Saints held on for the 76-69 win, going 10-of-12 from the free throw line down the stretch.

Francis led all scorers with a career-high 24 points to go along with five rebounds. Donovan finished with 15 points.

For the Saints, Jessup recorded a team-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting including a 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Davis finished with 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds off the bench while senior forward John Clay (Westport, Mass.) and sophomore guard Colin Cordero (Bolton, Conn.) each added 12 points.

Emmanuel wraps up its six-game homestand with a  3-3 record and returns to action on Tuesday, February 9 at Norwich University for a GNAC tilt scheduled for 7:00 PM. Rivier is back the same day when they host Saints Joseph's College (ME) at 7:00 PM in more GNAC action.