MEN'S HOOPS CLOSES SEMESTER WITH 89-75 WIN OVER UMB

BOSTON, Mass. – With a combined 11 3-pointers and a 20-for-28 showing at the free throw line, the Emmanuel College men's basketball team earned a 89-75 win over the University of Massachusetts Boston on Tuesday evening at the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.

THE BASICS

UMass Boston 76, Emmanuel College 89

UMass Boston (5-4)
Emmanuel College (7-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED

On the night, the Saints could not miss as they shot 55.8% (29-52) from the field.  From behind the arc, Emmanuel finished 11-for-18 as they earned their fourth straight win, and first-ever over the Beacons.  Junior guard Emmett Riddick (Middletown, Conn.) led all players with 23 points on his 8-of-12 showing, which included three 3-pointers.  Off the bench, senior Joe Tamburro (South Windsor, Conn.) dropped in 21 points as he recorded seven made field goals, three of which were from distance. 

Freshman guard Anthony Davidson (Anapolis, Md.) , was the Saints top free throw shooter to cap-off a 17 point performance.  Davidson was 11-for-14 from the line.  Senior guard Isaiah Ruffin (Haverhill, Mass.) grabbed a game-high 16 boards to go along with eight points.

Four Beacons finished in double-figures, with Michael Boyd (Malden, Mass.) scoring a team-high 18 points.  The sophomore guard was 7-for-15 from the field, and 3-for-6 from behind the arc.  Alex Sanchez (Salem, Mass.) dropped in a season-best 14 points, while Charlie Mitchell (Boston, Mass.) and Javaris Hill (Lynn, Mass.) combined for 21 points respectively. 

Emmanuel led from the start of Tuesday's contest and managed to keep a solid lead over the Beacons throughout the first half.  In the first half, the Saints outshot the Beacons 57.1% to 41.4%.  They were even more impressive from distance, as they shot 54.5% (6-11).  Riddick and Tamburro each headed into the break with 12 points each. 

In the second half, the Saints continued to drop in the long range chances finishing 5-for-7, with Davidson leading the charge with 13 points. 

BY THE NUMBERS

·         Tuesday's contest marked the first-ever meeting between the Beacons and the Saints

·         UMB head coach Jason Harris and Emmanuel head coach Danny Lawson both coached at Division I Long Island University

·         On the night, the Beacons shot 39.7% from the field (25-63), and 26.3% from 3-point range (5-19)

·         Emmanuel led the contest on the glass with a 42-33 advantage

·         The Beacons defense registered nine steals in the loss, and forced 22 Emmanuel turnovers

·         Boyd now needs just one point for his 500^th in a combined 36 games played during his two seasons on the harbor campus

·         The seven wins heading into the semester break is the most in EC program history for victories in the first semester

WHO'S NEXT

The Beacons will be back in action on Friday when they host Wentworth Institute of Technology at 7:00 PM. Emmanuel is now idle until Saturday, December 29 when they take on Regis College in the GNAC Catholic Charities Tournament hosted by Saint Joseph's College (ME).