HIGGINS, SAINTS HEAD TO POSTSEASON WITH 70-60 WIN AT ALBERTUS

New Haven, Conn. – The Emmanuel College women's basketball team defeated Albertus Magnus College, 70-60, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday afternoon at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.

With the setback, the Falcons end the regular season with a 14-11 overall record and a 6-5 mark in conference play, while the Saints won their fifth straight to enter the postseason 19-6 on the year and 10-1 in league play.

Emmanuel pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the hosts, 23-15, to earn the victory. During the final frame, the Saints shots over 50 percent from the field (9-of-16) and forced five AMC turnovers. Emmanuel opened the quarter on a 10-0 run capped by a layup from senior guard Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) to take a 57-45 edge. Midway through the stanza, the guests would build their lead to as many as 15 following a steal from Higgins and layup in transition from junior forward Jen Chalk (Horseheads, N.Y.). The Saints would weather the Falcon rally and escape with their 10th conference win.

During the third quarter, the two squads went back-and-forth with neither team leading by more than two possesions. Chalk scored the final four points of the frame for the Saints as Emmanuel erased a halftime deficit to lead by two at 47-45 heading into the fourth.

The guests pressure defense and up-tempo offense helped Emmanuel build an early 11-4 edge over the first six minutes of play. Albertus would respond by getting to the free-throw line over the next four minutes to pull within three at 11-8. The Saints would counter with a 5-0 spurt to close out the stanza and hold a 16-8 lead after one. During the first quarter, Albertus Magnus hit just one shot from the field and turned the ball over 10 times.

In the second quarter the hosts would respond by shooting 53 percent (7-of-13) from the field and outscoring the Saints, 19-10, to hold a one-point advantage at 27-26 heading into halftime. In the quarter, junior guard Liz Falcigno (Wallingford, Conn.) hit three three-pointers and senior forward Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) added four points for Albertus Magnus. The Saints struggled during the quarter, hitting just 5-of-18 shots.

Falcigno led the attack for AMC with a 19 points courtesy of hitting four shots from beyond the arc. In her final home regular season game as a Falcon, point guard Olivia Sutherland (Wallingford, Conn.) poured in 16 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Pendagast was the other Falcon in double figures, scoring 10 and falling one rebound short of a double-double.

Three Saints scored in double figures led Higgins with 19. She also added 13 rebounds, five assists, seven steals and two blocks to fill out the stat sheet. Forward Lena Negri (Arlington, Va.) was a force in the post for the guests, scoring 15 and pulling down seven rebounds, while Chalk added 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

The two teams will meet again in just three nights, as Albertus will be the No. 6 seed in the GNAC quarterfinals and travel to face third-seeded Emmanuel on Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm.