#4 MEN'S HOOPS TO HOST #5 COLBY-SAWYER IN GNAC QUARTERFINALS SHOWDOWN

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's basketball team is set to host Colby-Sawyer College in the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 19 at 7:30 PM on the Andy Yosinoff Court. The Saints bring a 17-7 overall record to the contest after posting an 8-3 mark in the GNAC to earn the No. 4 seed in the GNAC. The Chargers stand at 13-12 overall and posted a 7-4 mark in the GNAC to secure the No. 5 seed.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Emmanuel:

• The Saints enter the GNAC Tournament ranked second in the GNAC defensively, allowing opponents to an average of just 75.6 points per game this season
• Emmanuel has taken advantage of opportunities from the charity stripe this season, leading the GNAC while ranking 15th in the country shooting at a combined 77.1% from the line
• EC finished the regular season ranked second among GNAC schools in rebounding, averaging 43.3 boards per contest while leading the conference in rebounding margin at +11.5 which currently ranks fifth in the nation among D-III Men's Basketball programs.
• The Saints posted an 11-2 record over the months of December and January to secure the program's first winning record for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign.

Colby-Sawyer:

• The Chargers head into their first GNAC postseason ranked second in the conference in field goals made (795) and third in both scoring (85.8 points) and shooting percentage (45.9%) from the field.
• Colby-Sawyer led the GNAC in steals per game (10.4) which ranks 15^th in the nation and also forces a league-best 18.4 turnovers which is good for 21^st in the country.
• While CSC had a high-flying offense, their defensive unit ranked only 10^th in the GNAC in points allowed, surrendering an average of 83.9 points a night while also allowing a league-high 274 three pointers.
• The Chargers posted an 8-0 record when scoring 90+ points in regulation this season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Emmanuel:

• Junior guard Emmett Riddick (Middletown, Conn.) led EC in scoring this season with 17.0 points per game and scored in double-figures in every game (18 games) that he played 20+ minutes in.
• Senior guard Joe Tamburro (South Windsor, Conn.) averaged 18.1 points per game against GNAC opponents this season, connecting on 67 threes to rank sixth in conference. The senior had a pair of 37-point game this year including one against Colby-Sawyer in their first meeting and netted double-figures in 10 out of the final 12 regular-season games.
• Senior forward Isaiah Ruffen (Haverhill, Mass.) was one of only four players to average a double-double in GNAC play with 10.8 ppg and 11.4 rpg over 11 conference games. He ranked third overall in the GNAC in rebounding per game and had 17 games with 10+ rebounds including 11 of final 13 regular season games.

Colby-Sawyer:

• Junior center Dana Bean (Franklin, N.H.) capped the regular-season averaging 17 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds while also leading CSC in blocked shots (33).
• Patrick Coffey (Westford, Mass.) led the Chargers in scoring at 17.9 points per game and enters the postseason with 20 consecutive games with double-digit point totals.
• Senior guard Jourdain Bell (Manchester, N.H.) led the GNAC in steals this season (71) which ranks fifth among NCAA D-III men's hoopsters while also averaging 16.0 points per game.

COACHES' CORNER:

Danny Lawson - Emmanuel
In his first season as a collegiate Head Coach, Lawson coached the Saints to 17 regular-season victories marking the second-highest single-season total in program history and the most since the 2008-09 campaign when Emmanuel also finished with 17 wins. His leadership helped the Saints clinch a first-round GNAC home playoff game for the first time in 10 seasons.

Bill Foti – Colby-Sawyer
In his 27^th season at Colby-Sawyer, Foti has coached the Chargers to an overall record of 476-243 including a conference record of 271-83 (.766) over three leagues (CCC, NAC, GNAC). He's led the program to four NCAA tournament appearances as well as nine ECAC tourney berths including the ECAC NE Championship in 1998. Foti has been named his respective conference's Coach of the Year on five separate occasions.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

Earlier this month, the Saints came away with a gutsy 84-81 road victory over the Chargers on Saturday, February 9 behind Tamburro's 37-point outburst. Colby-Sawyer held a one-point (42-41) lead at halftime before Tamburro took over with 24 second half points.  

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

The Saints own the all-time series lead with a 1-0 record as their meeting earlier this season was the first-ever between the two programs.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:

After missing out on the GNAC tourney last season, the Saints return for the program's 14^th trip to the GNAC postseason while the Chargers make their first appearance in the GNAC field in the first season in the conference. Emmanuel owns a 9-13 overall record in GNAC tournament play and has never won the GNAC title. The Saints appeared in the GNAC Championship in 2007 and 2009 but fell to Rivier in '07 (59-57) and to Saint Joseph's (ME) in '09 (74-72, OT).

TICKETS
Adult admission is $5.00 and children 12 and under is $2.00. Emmanuel College students, staff and faculty may receive free admission but must present a valid student/college ID at the door.

COVERAGE
Tuesday's GNAC Semifinal game will be streamed live on the web with the official call of the game from the voice of the Saints, Matt LaPan. To tune into the live action, click on one of the links below:

LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

GNAC TOURNEY SCHEDULE
Tuesday, February 19 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #8 Lasell at #1 Albertus Magnus – 8:00 PM 
Game 2: #5 Colby-Sawyer at #4 Emmanuel - 7:30 PM
Game 3: #6 Saint Joseph's (ME) at #3 Johnson & Wales - 7:00 PM
Game 4: #7 Saint Joseph (CT) at #2 Suffolk – 7:00 PM

Thursday, February 21 - Semifinals
Game 5: 4/5 winner vs 1/8 winner
Game 6: 3/6 winner vs 2/7 winner 

Saturday, February 23 - Final
Game 7: Highest remaining seed