NEGRI HITS 1K, LEADS SAINTS TO GNAC TITLE GAME
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Emmanuel College (21-6) women's basketball team avenged last year's championship game loss with a 71-61 victory over Johnson & Wales (24-3) in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals on Thursday night at the Wildcat Center.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Emmanuel College (21-6) women's basketball team avenged last year's championship game loss with a 71-61 victory over Johnson & Wales (24-3) in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals on Thursday night at the Wildcat Center.
The Lead:
After seeing a 10 point, third quarter lead evaporate after Ashley Thompson (Bellingham, Mass.) jumper at the 4:44 mark of the fourth quarter, the Saints outscored JWU, 17-6 down the stretch to earn a second consecutive berth in the GNAC title game.
Of Note:
Neither team shot particularly well from the field, with the charity stripe being the biggest difference in the game. Emmanuel was 21-27 from the line, compared to 8-13 by the Wildcats.
Johnson & Wales closed the first quarter on a 7-0 run to take an 18-13 lead after the first 10 minutes. However, the Saints responded with a 13-3 run of their own to start the second quarter. JWU would only make on basket in the first five minutes of the second stanza. The Wildcats pulled to within five, 34-29, on a Savannah Kresge (Ellington, Conn.) three-pointer, but the visitors stretched the lead to 40-31 going into the locker room.
Kresge topped the Wildcats with 14 points and was 4-of-7 from three point range. The only other Wildcat in double figures was Thompson, as she tossed in 12 points, along with six rebounds. Forward Kimberly Viafara (Woodside, NY) just missed a double-double withseven points and 10 rebounds.
Topping all scorers with 22 points was Emmanuel graduate student Lena Negri (Arlington, Va.) to go along with 11 rebounds for the double-double. She hit a jumper at the 1:37 mark of the fourth quarter to put EC ahead for good and it was also the 1,000th point of her illustrious career. Senior Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) also had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Alexis Ezell (Acworth, Ga.) was tremendous off the bench, scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds, while going 6-6 from the free throw line.
Up Next:
The Saints go on to face top-seeded St. Joseph's of Maine in the GNAC finals on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 2:00 p.m. EC defeated the Monks, 71-66, on Feb. 9.