SAINTS FALL TO BRANDEIS, 91-78, IN ECAC SEMIFINAL

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Emmanuel College Women's Basketball season came to a close on Saturday afternoon, when the No. 2 Saints were upset by No. 6 Brandeis University, 91-78, in the semifinal round of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament.  The Judges (15-12), hosting the semifinal and championship rounds of the tourney, out-rebounded the visiting Saints 53-34 in the second round contest and will now advance to the ECAC Championship game on Sunday at 1:00 PM.  Emmanuel's post-season ends with an overall record of 19-11.

This was the Saints' second loss to Brandeis this season, as they dropped a regular-season contest to the Judges (66-54) back on November 25, 2014.  This was also Emmanuel's second ECAC Tournament upset loss to Brandeis in as many years, with EC falling (64-55) on March 5, 2014.

Emmanuel was able to keep the contest close in the opening frame, but the Judges posted a high-scoring first half, capitalizing on 47.2% field goal shooting en route to their 50 first-half points. Holding a 50-41 lead at the break, the Judges went on to out-score EC 41-37 in the second stanza to notch the thirteen-point win.

A sloppy contest throughout, the game featured a total of 61 free throws and 48 turnovers.  The Judges prevailed from the line, netting 26 of their 40 tries (60.7%), making up more than the difference in the win.  Emmanuel hit 15 of its 21 freebies (75%).

With the Judges holding a 21-point lead (71-50) midway through the second half, the scrappy Saints used their tough full-court zone pressure to rattle off a 13-2 run and cut their deficit to ten points (73-63) with 6:13 left to play.  EC was then able to get the game back into single digits at 82-75 following an old-fashioned three-point play by senior captain Vanessa Bramante with 2:25 on the clock.  Another three-point play by Bramante got the contest down to six points (84-78) with 1:39 left, but the Saints were not able to score again for the final 99 seconds.  The Judges hit five free throws and a jumper down the stretch and pulled out the 91-78 win.

Junior guard Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) led Emmanuel with her career-high 31 points, shooting 13-21 from the floor.  Bramante finished with 12 points and eight boards, while senior center Jennifer Bujnowski (Salem, N.H.) hit for 11 points in the effort for the Saints.

Frankie Pinto led four players in double-figures for Brandeis with her 23 points, scoring 19 in the first half.  Hannah Cain netted 16 points, while Sydney Sodine recorded a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.  Heather Cain added 12 points in the win for the Judges.

Brandeis will take on the winner of the Keene State/Westfield State game on Sunday afternoon for the ECAC Championship at 1:00 PM.