MONKS EDGE SAINTS IN CRUCIAL GNAC BATTLE
Feb. 17, 2009
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Men's Basketball Team came up short on Tuesday night against the visiting Monks of Saint Joseph's College. The Monks shot 47.5% from the floor and nipped the host Saints, 82-75, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's hoop played in the Jean Yawkey Center. With this loss, Emmanuel fell to 14-10 overall, while Saint Joseph's improved to 17-7 on the season. Both teams stand at 11-6 in conference play, but the Monks have now defeated the Saints in both meetings this season.
The Monks led wire to wire. Saint Joseph's scored its first bucket just eight seconds into the contest, when senior forward Elbie Murphy (Loudonville, N.Y.) drilled a jumper and was fouled, giving the visitors a 3-0 lead. The Monks scored 16 points in the opening three minutes of play and led 16-6 at the seventeen-minute mark.
Emmanuel quickly answered, going on a 12-2 run and tying the contest at 18-18 with 13:23 remaining in the first half. Sophomore guard Mike Jackson (New York, N.Y.) was the catalyst in the Saints' effort. Jackson hit three shots and dished out three assists during the run.
The Monks then went on a 13-1 run that spanned the next four minutes and Saint Joseph's was back on top, 31-19, with 9:47 to go. The Monks maintained a solid 10-plus point lead for the remainder of the half. Saint Joseph's got 10 points from sophomore guard Tyler Kelley (Saco, Maine) and 9 from Murphy in the opening period. The Monks shot 54.4% from the field and knocked down 4 of their 8 attempts from long-range in the first half, taking a 46-35 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After the break, the Saints clawed their way back into it and managed to come within five points, 64-59, after a three-point play by Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, Mich.) with 8:53 to play. Murphy and junior forward Raymond Eatmon (Huntington, N.Y.) ignited another Monks' run and Saint Joseph's led, by 12, 77-65, with 2:31 on the clock.
Emmanuel continued to keep it close and with 30 ticks left on the clock, Williams-Hinton went on a tear. The Saints trailed, 77-69, and in the next 7 seconds, the senior co-captain sandwiched two three-pointers around two free throws by Saint Joseph's Scot Vachon (Schenectady, N.Y.) to bring the Saints to within four points, 79-75. The Monks connected on three of their four free throws over the next 20 seconds and came away with the 7-point win, 82-75.
Murphy led the Monks with a double-double, featuring 22 points and a game-high 10 assists. He shot 7-12 from the floor, grabbed 6 rebounds and blocked 2 shots in a solid 32-minute effort. Eatmon added 10 points and a team-high 9 rebounds, while Kelley chipped in with 12 points in the win. Sophomore forward Chris Davis (New York, N.Y.) rounded out a quartet of double-figure scorers for the Monks.
Williams-Hinton came away with game-high honors for Emmanuel, scoring 23 points on 8 for 19 shooting, including hitting 4 of 7 from three-point land. Jackson shot 10 for 18 from the field and scored 20 points to go along with his 8 assists. Freshman guard and GNAC Rookie of the Week Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) added 14 points and 8 boards, while senior forward Andres Bustamante (Amherst, Mass.) chipped in with 10 rebounds and 5 assists in the effort.
The five seniors on the Emmanuel squad were honored prior to the start of tonight's game. The careers of Andres Bustamante, Rob Williams-Hinton, Mack Spellman, Andy Crawford, and team manager Shannon Sullivan were celebrated as the Saints played their last regular season home game.
Emmanuel will play its last regular season contest on Saturday (2/21) at Suffolk University in a 4pm start. The Monks will host first-place Lasell College on Saturday in a 3pm start.