SAINTS POST NEW YEAR'S EVE WIN OVER NORTH PARK
Dec. 31, 2009
The Emmanuel College Women's Basketball Team closed out 2009 with an impressive 80-67 win over North Park University in the opening round of the California Lutheran Holiday Classic in Thousand Oaks, California. The New Year's Eve victory was the Saints' seventh win of the season, as Emmanuel cruised to a thirteen point win over the 3-7 Vikings. The sharp-shooting Saints shot 48.3% from the field and 88.9% from the free throw line en route to the non-conference win.
Emmanuel was led by senior guard Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) and junior guard Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.), who dropped 20 points apiece. Davis, who drained 7 of her 10 attempts from the floor, also managed a game-high 8 assists and 4 steals in her 28 minutes of action. LeBel knocked down 4 of her 6 shots from long-range, scoring 12 of her 20 points from behind the arc.
Davis and LeBel were just two of the four double-figure scorers for the Saints. Junior point guard Casey Shevlin (Medford, N.Y.) hit for 12 points, dished out 5 assists and collected 4 steals in a solid 37-minute effort. Freshman forward Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) scored 10 points, while junior forward Pamela Mobley (Worcester, Mass.) blocked 4 shots in the win.
Emmanuel's defense forced 26 North Park turnovers. Despite being out-rebounded, 39-29, the Saints took care of the Vikings on the offensive end. Emmanuel hit 29 of 60 attempts from the field (48.3%), 6 of 15 from three-point range (40%) and 16 of 18 from the line (88.9%).
The Saints will now face the 10th-ranked undefeated Falcons of Messiah College on January 2nd at 4pm (7pm EST). The 9-0 Falcons rang in the new year with a 68-48 win over the University of California Santa Cruz in the opening round of the tournament.