SAINTS PULL OFF DOUBLE-O.T. UPSET THRILLER TO ADVANCE TO GNAC FINALS
Feb. 26, 2009
NEWTON, Mass. - The 4th-seeded Emmanuel College Men's Basketball Team (17-10) stunned top-seeded Lasell College (18-9) in one of Thursday night's Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinal games. The Saints knocked off the \#1 Lasers, 94-91, in a double-overtime thriller played in front of a crowd of over 800 people in Lasell's Athletic Center. Emmanuel will now advance to the GNAC finals, for just the second time in program history.
Lasell's senior swingman Brad Caravoulias (Dracut, Mass.) drained a bucket in the paint on the Lasers' first possession to give the hosts an early 2-0 lead. GNAC Player of the Year Jose Guitian (Miami, Fla.) hit a lay-up to put the Lasers up, 4-0 just 80 seconds into the game.
Emmanuel was quick to reply though with 1st-Team All-GNAC selection Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, Mich.) connecting on an elbow jumper followed by a three-point play by Tyrone Buchanan (Detriot, Mich.) to grab the Saints first lead at 5-4. The opening hoops for the Saints were part of a 11-0 Emmanuel run and the Saints led 11-4 with 14:57 to go in the half.
At 14:18, Lasell's Junior Sainval (Miami, Fla.) hit a jumper in the paint, which started the Lasers on a run to bring them back within one point of the Saints, at 11:37. Emmanuel, however, answered with an 18-4 run over the next five minutes, completed by back-to-back-to-back three-balls by J.P. Ventura (Riva, MD), Tony Carter-Hill (Baltimore, MD), and Mike Jackson (New York, NY), leaving Lasell behind 34-19 with 6:37 to play. The Saints' largest lead of the game came when Williams-Hinton dropped two free throws to put Emmanuel up by 19 points, 41-22, with under four minutes to play in the first half.
The Saints remained in control of the game for the remainder of the half, getting off quick baskets and playing tight defense, while the Lasers labored to hit shots. Lasell's Charles Horton (Worcester, Mass.) and Emmanuel's Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) exchanged baskets at either end, before Guitian netted a lay-up and a trey to finish off the first half scoring for Lasell. The Saints took a fourteen point lead, 43-19, into the locker room at the break. The Lasers hit just ten first-half field goals and struggled desperately from the line, knocking down just 7 of 14 attempts, while the Saints hit 8 of their 10 freebies.
Lasell came out with a renewed intensity in the second half. A spark by Sainval, who made an immediate steal which he converted into a fast break layup set forth a chain of events that brought the Lasers back within three points of the Saints, by 14:37.
At the 13 minute mark, the Saints led by five after a Jackson post bucket to bring the score to 55-50. Lasell's freshman point guard Kevin Richard (New Orleans, LA) responded by hitting a nothing-but-net three from the top of the arc, then followed that play forcing an Emmanuel turnover and dishing off to Caravoulias to tie the game at 55-all.
After two more ties, Horton gave the Lasers their first lead since two minutes into the first half when he drained a three off a second chance opportunity, putting the hosts ahead, 62-59. After an Emmanuel freethrow by Carter-Hill and a Lasell bucket by Corey Godfrey (Cambridge, Mass.), Williams-Hinton was decked taking a three from the right wing and hit all three free-throws to put the Saints within two points, 65-63, with 6:44 remaining. The lead changed five more times, culminating in a three-point edge by the visitors with 1:02 on the clock, after Buchanan hit a key jumper in the paint.
With the clock stating time for two possessions in the game, Lasell missed on their first opportunity to close the gap. However, freshman forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, Mass.) picked Jackson with 47 seconds left, and transitioned into a bucket, plus one to tie the contest at 76-76. Emmanuel got three unsuccessful last chance shots off before the game was forced into overtime.
In overtime, Lasell went up by five with an up and under move by Guitian down low, followed quickly by a fast-break three by Caravoulias off an Emmanuel turnover. The Lasers defense was tough, yet the Saints cut their gap to just two after Williams-Hinton secured a difficult jump shot with a hand in his face. With 57 seconds remaining, Williams hit one of two free throws to give the Lasers a 3-point cushion. On the next possession, Jackson fired in a three-ball from the right wing to tie the game, 84-84, with 42 ticks on the clock. This was 9th and final tie of the game. Guitian got the last shot for Lasell and threw up a four-step deep three-pointer with one second on the clock that rolled around the rim and out, leading the teams into double-overtime.
The Saints stormed out to a quick 7-point edge over the course of the first three minutes of the second overtime, leaving the outcome looking bleak for the Lasers. However, Lasell fought to keep themselves alive in the final minute-thirty, and came back within two points after a Guitian layup with 20 seconds left. Needing to secure possession of the ball, the Lasers were forced to foul, increasing the Saints edge to four after two clutch free-throws from Williams-Hinton, who went 10-11 from the line on the night. Guitian layed in a final Laser bucket with :03 on the clock and quickly fouled again. Jackson hit one of two free throws to put Emmanuel up three, 94-91. Lasell's desperation three was off as time expired and the Saints came away with the incredible upset victory.
Williams-Hinton and Jackson each closed out the evening with 22 points for the victors, Jackson adding 8 boards and five assists. Buchanan notched 15 points, along with five boards, three steals and a block. Carter-Hill, who was tremendously poised and added a spark off the bench down the stretch, finished the night with 13 points on 5 for 9 shooting. Duke recorded a double-double for the Saints with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while senior forward Andres Bustamante (Amherst, Mass.) chipped in with 10 rebounds, 3 steals and two clutch free throws.
Emmanuel's excessive 24 turnovers could have been a deciding factor for the Saints, however, they held a 57-48 rebounding advantage, plus a truly significant 80% (23-29) free throw percentage, as opposed to Lasell's troubled 44% (14-32) from the line.
Lasell's Guitian had a 28 point, 17 rebound, 4 assist, and 3 block performance in his final home stint. Caravoulias, also a GNAC All-Conference honoree, ended with 18 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Sainval, while plagued with foul trouble which ended the game early for the senior, finished with eight points and 3 steals, and Williams added nine points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
In other semifinal action, \#3 Saint Joseph's College (ME) outlasted \#7 Albertus Magnus College, 75-64, in Standish, Maine. The 3rd-seeded Monks (20-7) will now host the 4th-seeded Saints in Saturday's GNAC Championship game. The winner of the conference championship will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is Emmanuel's second appearance in the GNAC finals. The Saints last played in the championship game during the 2006-07 season, when they lost by two at Rivier, 59-57. With a win on Saturday, the Saints will be looking to make their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The GNAC championship appearance for Saint Joe's will be the first-ever for the Monks, who are in their second-year as a member of the conference.