WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ADVANCES TO GNAC FINALS WITH 72-48 VICTORY OVER ALBERTUS MAGNUS

BOSTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel College women's basketball team used a balanced offensive attack to down Albertus Magnus College, 72-48, Thursday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament Semifinals. With the win, EC improves to 22-5 overall and will advance to the GNAC Championship game on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM against Suffolk University. The Falcons fall to 20-7 on the year.

After trading baskets to begin play, a free throw by senior forward Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) just 1:51 into the contest put the Saints on top for good. EC was in control much of the opening stanza as O'Dwyer poured in 15 points and for most of the half, was outscoring the entire Falcons lineup.

A layup by EC junior forward Liz Daley (Sharon, Mass.) put the hosts on top, 16-6 with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half before Albertus Magnus senior center Kendrea Walker (New Haven, Conn.) cut the lead back to single digits at 16-8 with 11:53 remaining. Unfortunately for the visitors, it would be the closest they would get for the remainder of the half at the Saints would rattle off a 13-0 run fueled by six points from freshman forward Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) to put Emmanuel out in front 29-8 with 6:50 left on the clock.

A pair of free throws by rookie guard Shaniya Rentie (Owings Mills, Md.) gave Emmanuel its largest lead of the half at 40-14 with just under two minutes left in the action before the Falcons closed the half strong going on a 10-0 run led by from points form junior guard Lianna Carrero (Hamden, Conn.) to make it a 40-24 game heading into the halftime intermission.

Two layups from Walker and a pair of free throws from junior guard Nicole Acerra (East Haven, Conn.) cut the Saints lead to 40-30 early in the second half before EC sophomore guard Britni Mikulanecz (Portland, Maine) stopped the run with a jumper to make it 42-30 with 17:00 left in the action.

The Mikulanecz jumper sparked an 8-0 Emmanuel run as the sophomore would cap the spurt with a coast-to-coast layup to make it a 48-30 score with over 14 minutes to play.

A three point bucket from the top of the key by Daley with 10 minutes remaining built the Saints lead back over 20 points at 56-34. Minutes later, a Benvenuto trey put EC on top 62-36 to match their largest lead of the game with 7:15 left in the action.

Walker continued to play strong for the Falcons, converting a transition layup with 6:00 left in the second half to cut into the EC lead at 64-40 but the Emmanuel full court pressure was too much for the Albertus backcourt as they were never able to get into an offensive flow. The Saints would hold on for the 72-48 victory.

O'Dwyer scored all of her team-high 15 points in the opening frame to go along with five rebounds. Benvenuto chipped in with nine points and a game-high five steals while Daley also added nine points and five rebounds. Higgins and Mikulanecz netted eight points apiece in the win.

For the Falcons, Walker registered a double-double with games highs in points (18) and rebounds (12) to go along with a game-high four blocked shots. Acerra would also record double-figures with 10 points.

The Saints advance to the GNAC championship game for the 13^th consecutive season and will go for their seventh straight conference crown. During their regular season against Suffolk, Emmanuel came away with a 56-35 victory on Feb. 16. Since the two programs began conference play in 1996, the Saints hold a 22-1 all-time advantage over the Rams including GNAC tournament action and have won the last eight meetings.

This will be the fourth meeting between the two programs in the GNAC Championship as Emmanuel has won the previous three contests. The first championship meeting took place in 1999 when EC came away with a 62-55 victory. Emmanuel's second GNAC title over the Rams was on March 1, 2008 with a 69-57 win and just two seasons ago, the two programs squared off again with Emmanuel coming away with an 83-67 victory on Feb. 26, 2011.

Saturday's championship game is scheduled for a 1:00 PM tip.