OCKIMEY, SHEVLIN SHOOT SAINTS PAST CADETS
Jan. 23, 2010
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel Women's Basketball Team handed Norwich University its first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) loss of the season in a 62-61 battle played in the Jean Yawkey Center on Saturday afternoon. The nightcap of a GNAC double-header featured the Saints overcoming a nine-point second-half deficit to come away with the one-point victory. Emmanuel got 17 points from Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) and 16 points and 8 assists from Casey Shevlin (Medford, N.Y.), as the Saints improve to 13-4 on the season and 4-1 in the league. The loss dropped Norwich to 12-5 overall and 4-1 in GNAC play.
The Cadets scored on their second possession of the game and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a jumper by Christine Daniels (Concord, N.H.). A pair of free throws by Abby Brenkach (Germantown, N.Y.) quickly tied things up, before a lay-up by Brenkach gave the Saints a lead they would hold on to for the majority of the half.
The Saints went up by as many as 11 points (20-9) on a bucket by Jade Santos (Plymouth, Mass.) with 11:37 on the clock. A three-pointer by Ally Daniels (Concord, N.H.) sparked an 11-2 Norwich run. The Cadets cut the deficit to four points (22-18) on a jumper in the paint by A. Daniels. A baseline jumper by Erica Rate (Weymouth, Mass.) made it a two-point game (22-20) with 6:29 left in the half.
Emmanuel brought it back to a four-point spread at 24-20 on a bucket in the key by Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.). A three-ball from the right wing by Rate cut the Emmanuel lead to one, 24-23. An EC foul on the break sent Laurel McWilliams (Swanton, Vt.) to the line and she made a pair of freebies to give the Cadets the lead at 25-24 with three minutes left to play in the half.
An 8-0 Emmanuel run ensued. The run included a lay-up and a free throw by Meredith Shaw (Yarmouth, Maine), a trey by Ockimey, and a put-back by Davis, as the Saints took a 32-25 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Norwich shot just 25% (10-40) in the first half, compared to 43% (12-28) shooting by Emmanuel. The Saints held a narrow 25-24 rebounding edge over the Cadets at halftime. Seventeen of Emmanuel's 32 first-half points came off the bench, as Ockimey led all scorers at the break with 8 points. Jess Jaggars (Vergennes, Vt.) and C. Daniels led the Cadets with 6 points apiece.
A 6-0 run by Norwich kicked off the second half. A. Daniels hit consecutive jumpers to trim the Emmanuel lead to 32-29. C. Daniels then drained a hoop of her own to cut the spread to one, 32-31. Jaggars hit one of two free throws on Norwich's next possession and tied the contest at 32-all with just under 17 minutes left to play. A quick baseline jumper by Jaggars gave Norwich its first lead of the half, before Shevlin hit a three and Emmanuel regained the advantage at 35-34.
Shevlin's three was part of a 9-4 Emmanuel run, which forced the Cadets to call of full timeout with 13:40 left to play. During the run, Shevlin scored 8 of the Saints' 9 points, and Emmanuel led 44-38. The Saints held a narrow lead over the next couple minutes, as the two teams traded hoops.
Rate managed to tie things up again at 46-all on a long trifecta. A three-ball by A. Daniels on the Cadets next possession capped an 11-2 Norwich run and gave the visitors a 49-46 lead, forcing a full timeout by the Saints.
Out of the timeout, a huge jumper by A. Daniels and another trey by Rate gave the Cadets their largest lead of the game, 57-48, with six minutes remaining. A pair of Norwich free throws were sandwiched by threes from Ockimey and Shevlin and Emmanuel trailed by five, 59-54, with just under four minutes to go.
McWilliams made one of two from the line for Norwich, before Ockimey drained another one from long-range and the Saints trailed by three, 60-57. The momentum shifted to the Saints, as Ockimey stole the ball and went the length of the court before being fouled. She made one of two from the line and EC cut the margin to two, 60-58, with just under two minutes left.
Senior point guard Natalie Marchese (Rutland, Vt.) stuck one of two from the stripe with 1:19 left and in doing so scored what would be Norwich's last hoop of the night. Another huge jumper by Ockimey brought the Saints to within one point at 61-60 with 1:02 on the clock.
Norwich was whistled for traveling and Emmanuel regained possession with 46 ticks left and a chance for the win. Ockimey misfired from the left side and Davis grabbed a huge rebound and scored on the put-back, giving Emmanuel the lead at 62-61.
The Cadets had two final looks, but could not connect and Emmanuel hung on for the 62-61 win.
Ockimey, who was celebrating her birthday, led all scores with 17 points, including four three-pointers. Shevlin scored 16 points, dished out a game-high 8 assists, and hauled in 5 rebounds for the Saints. Ockimey and Shevlin combined for twenty of the Saints' 30 second-half points. Davis played a solid game for Emmanuel, scoring 10 points, grabbing a team-high 8 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists.
Ally Daniels led a trio of Norwich players scoring in double figures. A. Daniels dropped 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Christine Daniels hit for 13 points, while Rate netted 12 points and dished out 5 assists. Jaggars finished with a near double-double of 9 points and a game-high 13 boards.
The Saints, who were playing without leading-scorer Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.), needed a strong game from their bench and the reserves certainly stepped up and got the job done. Twenty-eight of Emmanuel's 62 points were scored off the bench.
Emmanuel will return to action on Thursday night, when the Saints host Simmons College in the opening game of a GNAC double-header. The women's game is slated to begin at 5:30pm.