WOMEN’S HOOPS ADVANCES TO GNAC SEMIFINALS WITH 73-63 WIN OVER ALBERTUS MAGNUS

BOSTON, Mass. – Four players scored in double-figures to lead the No. 3 Emmanuel College women's basketball team past No. 6 Albertus Magnus College, 73-63, Tuesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference Quarterfinals action at the Jean Yawkey Center. With the victory, the Saints improve to 20-6 on the year and advance to the GNAC Semifinals while the loss drops the Falcons to 14-12 on the year.

EC senior guard Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) led the Saints with 20 points to go along with seven rebounds, four steals, four assists and three blocks. Albertus Magnus sophomore forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) led all scorers with 21 points while grabbing 10 boards for the double-double.

The Falcons came out of the gates flying high, soaring ahead to an early 7-4 lead following a layup by senior forward Chelsea Sherrod (Bridgeport, Conn.) but the Saints responded with a 8-0 run fueled by four points from Higgins to take a 12-7 lead.

Emmanuel led by as many as nine in the second quarter, taking a 27-18 lead with 6:13 to play in the half after a layup by junior forward Alexis Ezell (Acworth, Ga.). Albertus Magnus kept the pressure on and by the half cut the EC lead to 39-35.

Higgins led all scorers at the break with 14 points while Bolden paced the visitors with eight. Emmanuel held a 22-10 advantage with points in the paint while the Falcons owned a 9-6 margin in second chance points at the break.

The Saints opened the third quarter on fire with baskets on the first two possessions to push the lead to 43-35 following a layup by junior guard Olivia Marks (Canterbury, Conn.). After a Falcons timeout, Emmanuel forced turnovers on the Falcons next two offensive sets, converting each for transition layups to bump the lead to double digits at 47-35.

With 7:25 to play in the third, a Marks triple increased the EC lead to 50-35 and on Emmanuel's ensuing offensive set, Marks made it 53-35 with her second three in a row. The Falcons finally got on the board in the quarter at the 5:18 marker with a pair of free throws by Bolden to make it 56-37, snapping Emmanuel's 17-0 run to open the second half. The Saints outscored the Falcons 26-11 in the quarter to take a 65-46 lead into the final frame.

Despite a late flurry by the Falcons, the 19 point lead proved too much for Albertus Magnus to overcome as Emmanuel coasted in the final quarter to the 73-63 win to advance to the GNAC Semifinals.

Along with Higgins' 20, Ezell chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Marks finished with 12 points on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor while graduate student Lena Negri (Arlington, Va.) posted a double-double of 10 point and a 15 rebounds, tying her career-high mark.

AMC sophomore guard Angelina Piccirillo (Naugatuck, Conn.) also posted double-figure for the Falcons with 14 points. Senior Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) added eight points and 10 rebounds.

Emmanuel returns to action on Thursday evening in a rematch of the 2015 GNAC Championship game. The Saints will head to Providence, R.I. to take on the No. 2 Johnson & Wales University Wildcats in the GNAC Semifinals at 5:30 PM. The Wildcats advanced following a 76-57 win over No. 7 Lasell in their Quarterfinal matchup.