LeBEL LEADS SAINTS TO 72-43 ROUT OF FALCONS IN GNAC OPENER
Jan. 13, 2009
BOSTON, Mass. - Emmanuel College's sophomore shooting guard Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) shot 70% from the floor and 71% from behind the arc to lead the Saints to a 72-43 win over the visiting Falcons of Albertus Magnus in women's basketball action on Tuesday night. LeBel hit 7 of 10 field goal attempts and 5 of 7 from three-point range en route to a game-high 20 points in just 12 minutes played, as Emmanuel opened up Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with a victory in the Jean Yawkey Center.
The Saints cruised to a 44-14 halftime advantage. Emmanuel's defense held Albertus to just four first half field goals and forced the Falcons to commit 30 first half turnovers. The Saints' offense was sparked by the play of LeBel, who hit 5 of 7 from the field, scoring 13 points in the opening stanza. As a team, Emmanuel shot 42.9% (15-35) from the floor and 73.3% (11-15) from the line in the first half.
Junior guard Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) chipped in with 13 points on 4 of 6 shooting and was perfect from the line (5-5) on the night for the Saints. Freshman forward Jasmine Jean-Jacques (Jamaica, N.Y.) came off the bench to add 8 points and a team-high 9 rebounds for the victors.
The Falcons' 42 turnovers helped to seal the win for Emmanuel. Two AMC players recorded double-doubles in the effort. The teams' leading scorer Nikki McClease (New Haven, Conn.) hit for 10 points and hauled in 10 rebounds, while sophomore forward Kristal Bryant (New Haven, Conn.) netted 10 points and grabbed 10 boards for the visitors.
With this win, Emmanuel improves to 6-6 on the year and 1-0 in conference play. Albertus Magnus falls to 5-5 overall and 0-1 in the conference. The Saints will host non-conference rival Salem State College on Thursday night (1/15) in a 7pm start.