SAINTS POWER PAST RAIDERS IN GNAC REMATCH
Feb. 15, 2009
NASHUA, N.H. - The Emmanuel Saints soared to a 92-79 win over Rivier College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action played at the Muldoon Center on Saturday afternoon. After a close first half, the Saints broke the game wide open to take away a 17-point victory over the host Raiders. With the win, Emmanuel improved to 14-9 overall and 11-5 in the GNAC, while Rivier dropped to 13-10 on the season and 9-8 in league play.
This was the second meeting between these two teams this season. Earlier in the season, the Raiders nipped the Saints, 81-77, in Boston. Saturday's win was the fifth-straight for the Saints. It was also Emmanuel's second win in a row, while playing without senior co-captain and the team's second leading scorer, Mack Spellman (Clinton, N.Y.), who suffered a season-ending injury last Saturday in the Saints' 85-77 win over Lasell College.
Saturday's first half was played very close, with each team matching the other in both intensity and shooting ability early on. With the score tied at 17, the Saints started on a 15-6 run to extend their lead to 9 points with six minutes to play in the first half. Rivier was able to answer the run, but couldn't overcome the deficit as they entered the half, trailing 42-34.
The Saints came out of the locker rooms on fire in the second half. Emmanuel stretched its lead to as many as 12 points and Rivier was never able to get closer than six points, as Emmanuel cruised to the 17-point victory.
The Saints had a balanced scoring attack with four players notching double figures. Emmanuel's freshman guard Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) led all scorers with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Duke hit 10 of 15 from the floor and went 3 for 4 from the line. His backcourt teammate, Mike Jackson (New York, N.Y.), hit for 20 points, picking up 7 freebies from the line. Sophomore forward Tyrone Buchanan (Detroit, Mich.) recorded a double-double with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while senior guard Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, Mich.) chipped in with 14 points, including hitting two of three shots from long range.
The Raiders were led by senior Kevin Harrington who dropped 20 points on the day and scored the 1000th point of his career. DJ Poitras added 16 points in the effort while Lance Bisson scored 14.
The Raiders play non-conference opponent Bard College in New York on Thursday February 19th at 7:00pm. Emmanuel will host the Monks of Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on Tuesday night at 7:30pm. The five seniors on the squad (Mack Spellman, Rob Williams-Hinton, Andres Bustamante, Andy Crawford, and team manager Shannon Sullivan) will be honored prior to the start of this game.
With just two regular season contests remaining, the Saints currently sit in 3rd place in the conference standings. However, the Saints must defeat Saint Joseph's on Tuesday to remain in the third slot. Lasell is in first place, while Emerson is currently holding onto second place. These top two teams will square off on Tuesday night in Newton at 8pm.