HIGGINS LIFTS SAINTS PAST SUFFOLK, 67-51

BOSTON, Mass. – Emmanuel College cruised to a 67-51 victory over Suffolk University in Great Northeast Athletic Conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon in Regan Gymnaisum. The Rams dropped its second straight, moving to 9-6 on the year and 1-1 against GNAC opponents while the Saints improve to 12-4 overall and kept its conference record unblemished at 3-0.

Emmanuel received a 25-point, 11-rebound, double-double effort from senior Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.). The Saints capitalized on the Rams' turnovers, turning Suffolk's 11 mistakes into 18 points. Emmanuel held advantages in rebounds, 56-42, and points in the paint, 20-14.

For the second straight game, Georgia Bourikas paced the Rams offensively as the junior guard provided 14 points, shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 2-of-5 from behind-the-arc. Chelsea Campellone chipped in 12 points and Kelsey Schiebel added nine.

Over the opening minutes it was tit-for-tat as the GNAC and Boston rivals traded hoops and the score deadlocked at five. Emmanuel used back-to-back hoops to build an early 12-6 that blossomed to a 24-14 advantage after the first 10 minutes.

Bourikas put in three points and Alexandra Quadri swished one from long range to cut the deficit to single digits, 29-20, with 4:51 on the clock. The Saints did not let the Rams hang around for long, however, as the visitors quickly rebuilt the double figure lead to take a 37-25 edge into the half.

Suffolk was limited to a 28.1 connection rate (9-32) from the field in the first half, but shot 40 percent from 3-point land to stay within striking distance of Emmanuel who put together a 37.5 percentage (15-40) from the floor and went 6-of-14 from three. Bourikas and Schiebel led the Rams with six points each, while Higgins scored 16 of the Saints' 37 points.

Out of the locker rooms, Emmanuel kept its full-court pressure on piled on the points in the third, outscoring the Rams, 20-12, for a 57-37 lead after three quarters.

The Rams comeback attempt came in the final frame. After Quadri struck from deep, Bourikas followed with a three of her own to make it an 11-point game, 61-50, with 2:47 left on the clock. Suffolk had its opportunities to cut the deficit to single digits, but a traditional three-point play by Higgins was the difference and Emmanuel held on for the 67-51 conference victory.

EC junior forward Jen Chalk (Horseheads, N.Y.) added 12 points in 20 minutes while graduate student Lena Negri (Arlington, Va.) chipped in 10 rebounds and four points in the win.

With one day to prepare, Suffolk will trek to Standish, Maine on Martin Luther King Day for a 1:00 PM match with the Monks of Saint Joseph's College. Emmanuel is also back in action Monday, Jan. 18 when the Saints visit Mount Ida for a 1:00 PM tip. 

*Release courtesy of Suffolk University Sports Information