CAPTAIN CLAY LEADS THE WAY AS SAINTS UPSET LASELL

NEWTON, Mass. (2/16/16) – The visiting Saints of Emmanuel College powered to a 75-63 victory over Lasell College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action Tuesday evening in the Athletic Center. The loss drops the Lasers to 17-7 overall and 14-3 in the GNAC, while the Saints jump to 9-15 this season and break .500 in the league at 9-8.

Senior forward John Clay (Westport, Mass.) poured in a game-high 22 points highlighted by 4-for-6 shooting from long range with an additional 13 rebounds. Three other Saints reached the double-digit margin in scoring, as senior forward Kyle Davis (Groveland, Mass.) led with 15 points and seven assists. Sophomore forward Alex Minetti (Wakefield, R.I.) registered 11 points, while junior guard Kyle Smith (Los Angeles, Calif.) netted 10 points with three helpers.

Senior forward Pat Marchand (Cranston, R.I.) led the effort for the Lasers with 19 points and 13 boards, 10 coming from the defensive end. Junior forward Yordan Villalon (Miami, Fla.) turned his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 16 boards, while junior guard Armin Omanovic (Wilkesboro, N.C.) followed with 12 points, four assists and two boards.

The Saints took the Lasers by storm from the start and held a 34-32 margin heading into the halftime break. Scoring 14 points from Lasell's turnovers, the Saints carried their momentum into the final 20 minutes of regulation, where they kept the Lasers at bay for the game's remainder.

A trio of consecutive three-pointers lifted the Saints to an early 8-2 start, where Minetti followed the trend for the 11-5 bump. The Lasers turned a 9-0 run with 10:40 left to go to tie the game at 18 off a layup by Marchand. Omanovic connected on two shots from the line for Lasell's go-ahead basket, 24-23, but the Saints fired back with 10 unanswered points to mark the score at 33-24.

The Lasers would chip away at the deficit in the final 20, pulling within one possession on five occasions. However a quick 6-0 run on field goals from Minetti, Smith, and Clay from gave the visitors a comfortable lead 52-43. Late foul trouble from the Lasers built the advantage for the Saints, as a final eight points from the charity stripes granted the Blue and Yellow a 75-63 final.

Lasell shot 40.4% from the floor, 20.0% from long range, and 72.2 % from the free throw line. The Saints shot just under in field goal territory at 40.3%, while outshooting the Lasers in three-point territory at 38.5%. Emmanuel put away 27 points off Lasell's turnovers, yielding just seven of their own, while Lasell held a 44-36 advantage on the glass.

Both teams will close out the 2015-16 regular season on Saturday, February 20 at 3:00 p.m. The Lasers host Suffolk University in honor of the four graduating seniors, while the Saints head to Albertus Magnus.