SAINTS MARCH PAST SUFFOLK IN GNAC OPENER, 75-63

BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Saints marched on to a 75-63 win over conference opponent Suffolk University.  The action packed victory was powered by a double-double effort from freshman center Tatijana Ferguson (Boynton Beach, Fla.) and 13 point games by both senior forwards Jen Chalk (Horseheads, N.Y.) and Alexis Ezell (Acworth, Ga.).

The opening quarter saw both teams shoot out to fast starts, with Emmanuel leading 14-11 through the first five minutes of the game. The pace of the shootout dipped briefly until the Rams, Marissa Gudauskas (Bolton, Conn.) hit a deep three pointer and the Saints Talia Roth (Castaic, Calif.) countered with a triple of her own.  The quarter expired with the Saints leading the Rams 26-24.

The two squads continued their back and forth battle throughout much of the second quarter. With 1:27 remaining the Saints began to create some separation from the Rams.  Ezell converted an old-fashioned three point play followed by two more makes from the line giving the home team a nine point lead, their largest of the half. The Saints closed the half out with an eight point lead at 42-34.

Entering the break, Ferguson had a game-high seven rebounds.  The Saints scoring attack was spearheaded by Chalk and Olivia Marks (Canterbury, Conn.) with 11 and nine respectively.

Caitlyn Caramello (Revere, Mass.) and Alexandra Clarke (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) led the Rams at the break posting 10 and nine, respectively.

Suffolk trailed marginally for the opening minutes of the second half. It was not until 1:13 remaining that Gudauskas buried another three-pointer, narrowing the Saints lead to five.  The difference would remain the same entering the fourth quarter.

With four minutes left in regulation Georgia Bourikas (Hull, Mass.) knocked down a triple to narrow the Saints lead to six but it was the closets the visitors came as Chalk answered with a long range bucket of her own to make the score 69-61 with 3:33 on the clock.  The expiring minutes of the high scoring affair turned into a defensive battle when the Rams forced a turnover on a shot clock violation.  The following possession saw Marks take a charge for the Saints with 2:50 remaining.  Junior Ryan Maynard (Bowie, Md.) closed out the game for the Saints scoring the team's final six points to account for the 75-63 final.

Emmanuel is back in GNAC action on Saturday, December 1 when they take on Univ. of Saint Joseph (CT) in West Hartford, Conn at 1:00 PM. Suffolk will be back to host Framingham St. in a non-conference matchup the same day.