COLONIALS UPSET SAINTS IN ECAC QUARTERFINAL GAME
March 5, 2008
Boston, MA - The Emmanuel College Men's Basketball Team was upset by visiting Western Connecticut State University in the opening round of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament. The 7th-seeded Colonials upended the 2nd-seeded Saints, 91-66, in Emmanuel's Jean Yawkey Center on Wednesday night.
WCSU jumped out to an early lead, sparked by the Colonials sharp shooting from beyond the arc. Western Connecticut connected on 5 of 11 (45.5%) three-point attempts in the early going. The Colonials' defense forced 10 first-half Emmanuel turnovers. WCSU capitalized, scoring 11 points off the Saints' errors and 10 fast break points in the opening period.
Western Conn's senior guard Kyle Norfleet (Waterbury, CT) was perfect in the first half, knocking down 4 of 4 field goal attempts, including 2 of 2 from long range. Emmanuel got into foul trouble early and the team's leading scorer, Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, MI), was sent to the bench with three first-half fouls. WCSU took a 44-30 lead into the break.
The Colonials came out of halftime and went on a 13-7 run, extending their lead to 20 points (57-37) and forcing an Emmanuel time-out with 14:36 remaining in the contest. The two teams exchanged baskets throughout much of the second half with the Colonials maintaining a solid 20-point advantage until the six-minute mark. Western Connecticut then went on a 7-0 run that spanned two minutes, and the Colonials were up 81-54 with 4:13 to go. WCSU continued to drain threes and the Colonials came away with the 91-66 upset win.
Western Connecticut shot 47.1% (32-68 FG) for the game and 47.4% (9-19 3FG) from three-point range for the game. The battle under the boards was fairly evenly matched, with the Colonials coming away with a 45-43 rebounding advantage.
The Colonials were led by junior guard Dashon Jennings (Bridgeport, CT), who poured in a game-high 28 points on 9 for 16 shooting. Jennings netted 6 of 9 three-pointers, and knocked down 4 of 5 from the line, while hauling in 6 rebounds in the win. Senior forward Jamie Procino (Yorktown Heights, NY) hit for 15 points (5-10 FG and 5-5 FT), while Norfleet finished with 13 points and sophomore guard Tyshawn Gillespie (Hartford, CT) dished out 6 assists for the visitors.
Emmanuel was led by the play of junior forward Mack Spellman (Clinton, NY), who recorded his tenth double-double of the season with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Senior forward Levi Smith (Tulsa, OK) notched 16 points and blocked 5 shots in the effort.
The Saints wrapped up their season with a 17-11 overall record. This was Emmanuel 2nd ECAC appearance. WCSU is now 15-11 on the season and will advance to the ECAC semifinals, taking on the 3rd-seeded Nighthawks of Newbury College on Saturday (3/8).