NCAA Tournament Preview: Emmanuel Draws Brooklyn College in First Round

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – The Emmanuel Saints women's basketball program (25-1) heads to the NCAA Tournament for a third time in four years and they have drawn Brooklyn College (21-3) for a First-Round game against the Bulldogs on Friday, March 4 at 5:00 p.m. The host institution for this first weekend is Smith College, meaning Ainsworth Gym plays host to the action.

As hosts, Smith College COVID policies are in place for teams, personnel, and spectators. These policies require that all individuals attending are fully vaccinated and boosted and can show proof of vaccination via their vaccination card, QR code, or picture of the vaccination card. Masks, surgical or KN-95, will also be required for spectators while in Ainsworth Gym.

REACHING THE TOURNAMENT

Emmanuel:

• The Saints earned the automatic qualifier out of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference with a 78-70 win over Saint Joesph's College (ME) on Sunday, Feb. 27.
• With the Saints leading by as many as 22 in the third quarter, the Monks closed the gap to five with a 38-21 run in the second half that drew the game to 72-67 with 2:01 remaining.
• The title game inevitably came down to free throws with senior Korie Mathis (Duluth, Ga.) up for the challenge, keeping the Monks at bay with timely makes from the line, as the Saints held on for the 78-70 win.
• Mathis and graduate student Jamad Fiin (Boston, Mass.) were named to the GNAC All-Tournament team while senior Loredana D'Agostino (Broad Brook, Conn.) was named the Tournament's MVP.

Brooklyn:

• The Bulldogs, champions of the City University of New York Athletic Conference, punched their ticket with the automatic qualifier following a 59-51 victory over John Jay College in the CUNYAC Title Game.
• Brooklyn led by as many as 14, but much like the Saints did with the Monks, the Bulldogs had to hold off the Bloodhounds, as they closed to within six, 45-39, with 6:53 to go.
• The Bulldogs steadied themselves and answered back with eight straight points, to lead by 14, putting the game out of reach in their 59-51 win over John Jay.
• Juniors Gianna Gotti (Oyster Bay, N.Y.) and Ericka James (Brooklyn, N.Y.) were named to the CUNYAC All-Tournament team while graduate student Chanel Jemmott (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was named the Tournament MVP.

SEASON AT A GLANCE

Emmanuel:

• An offensively effective team, the Saints led the GNAC with 758 made field goals this season while shooting 43.2 percent from the field, good for second in the conference and 27^th in NCAA Division III.
• Those offensive numbers translate into a team that averages 74.3 points per game (29^th in Division III) while unselfish play shows in their 18.8 assists per game, ranking sixth in Division III.
• Hungry on the defensive end, Emmanuel ranks 16^th in the nation in turnovers forced, causing 23.8 per game. Within that 23.8 turnovers, the Saints 362 total steals and 13.9 steals per game, rank eighth and 10^th, respectively, among all Division III programs.
• Allowing just 54.3 points per game, Emmanuel uses a combination of holding teams to a low field-goal percentage and strong defensive rebounding to keep scores low. EC ranks 14^th in Division III in field goal percentage defense (31.4 percent) and 20^th in defensive rebounds, collecting 31.7 per game.

Brooklyn:

• The Bulldogs enter Friday's game with some equally impressive ranks among their Division III competitors. BC averages 75.7 points per game, 22^nd in the nation, while their 18.2 assists per game rank 11^th in Division III, just below the Saints.
• A team that emphasizes defense, the Bulldogs can match Emmanuel's defensive presence as BC ranks ninth in NCAA Division III in turnovers forced, causing 25.5 per game, while their 15.0 steals per game has them sitting seventh in the country.
• Allowing 48.1 points per game, seventh in Division III, the Bulldogs hold opponents to 31.0 percent shooting, good for ninth-lowest in the nation.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Emmanuel:

• D'Agostino is one of the Saints most well-rounded players. Over 26 games, the senior forward is averaging 11.4 points, on 50.8 percent shooting, to go along with 7.6 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game. D'Agostino's work on both ends of the floor resulted in an All-Conference First Team selection and being named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year.
• Fiin is yet another Saint that makes an impact all over the floor. In 26 games, the grad guard averaged a team-high 11.8 points per game while adding 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. Fiin leads the Saints in shooting from beyond the arc, hitting on 40.0 percent of her three-point shots, good for third in the GNAC and 22^nd in the nation.
• Senior Riley Lahiff (Attleboro, Mass.) stuffs the stat sheet for Emmanuel with averages of 7.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.5 steals, all while leading the team from the foul line, shooting 85.7 on free throws.
• The Saints depth has been one of the biggest strengths this team has put forward in 2021-22. EC has 12 players with at least 20 games played this season while only four players have averaged more than 20 minutes per game.

Brooklyn:

• Jemmott is an all-time player in Bulldogs history after making the transfer from Division I Seton Hall University in 2017. The grad forward and Brooklyn native is the Bulldogs all-time leading scorer with 1,636 points and is one of four players in CUNYAC history with at least 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. Jemmott was named the CUNYAC Player of the Year in 2021-22, following a season averaging 18.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.
• Gotti stuffs the box score with the numbers put up by this CUNYAC First-Team selection. The junior guard averages 12.9 points and 5.4 rebounds, but potentially more impressive is the 5.8 assists per game (10^th in NCAA Division III) and 4.5 steals per game, a number that leads the nation.
• James, the Bulldogs sharpshooter, also completed a campaign worthy of a CUNYAC First-Team selection. The third-year guard averages 14.3 points while shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. A volume shooter, James ranks 14^th in made three-pointers per game (3.0), 19^th in total three-pointers made (72), and 26^th in three-point attempts (204).

COACHES CORNER

Andy Yosinoff – Emmanuel – (878-287, .754) – 45^th Season

Coach Yosinoff leads the Saints to their 21^st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, all of which have come under the legendary, New England Basketball Hall of Famer. His 878 wins have moved him into 10^th place all-time in wins by a women's basketball coach across all three NCAA Divisions. Yosinoff is just one of three women's basketball coaches to amass 878 or more wins at one institution, joining Pat Summitt (1,098 wins at the University of Tennessee) and Geno Auriemma (1,141 wins at the University of Connecticut), as the only others to accomplish the feat.    

Alex Lang – Brooklyn – (320-202, .613) – 20^th Season

Coach Lang has led the Bulldogs for two decades as Brooklyn makes their third-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, all coming in the last four seasons. After taking over in 2002-03, Lang turned around a Bulldogs program that went below .500 in his first six seasons, to a team that has posted at least 20 wins in every year since 2011-12. Lang secured his seventh career CUNYAC Coach of the Year Honors after leading the Bulldogs to a 12-0 conference record this season.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

The Saints and Bulldogs enter Friday's Round One game with no prior games against each other. Additionally, there have been no common opponents played this season between Emmanuel and Brooklyn.

Perhaps the best comparison comes from the losses these teams suffered in 2021-22 to show the quality within the Saints and Bulldogs programs. Rankings courtesy of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Poll, EC's only loss came at the hands of No. 9 Amherst College while BC's three-loss season stems from No. 7 New York University, Kean University, and Salisbury University.

One item of note, all four combined losses between the Saints and Bulldogs come from teams that are in the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament.

TICKETS

Adult admission is $10.00 for adults and $7.00 for seniors, students, and children. Tickets can be purchased at the lower-level entrance of Ainsworth Gym, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Friday. Tickets for this event are cash only.

COVERAGE

Don't miss any of Friday's Women's Basketball Tournament with links to video and live stats via Smith College. Use these links below to tune in live:

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