SECOND HALF SURGE LIFTS SAINTS OVER NORWICH
Jan. 29, 2009
NORTHFIELD, Vt. - Karin Bird (Lee, Maine) netted a game-high 18 points, and Abby Brenkach (Germandtown, N.Y.) added 14 points, as Emmanuel overcame a 20-point first half deficit to defeat Norwich, 71-45. The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) win extended the Saints' win streak to eight games, as Emmanuel improved to 13-6 on the season and 7-0 in the conference.
Bird shot 7-of-9 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, to lead all scorers. Junior guard Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) had a solid all-around performance for the Saints, posting 11 points, nine rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. Freshman guard Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) chipped in 10 points for Emmanuel, which remains atop the conference standings.
Jess Jaggars scored 10 of her team-high 12 points in the first half to lead Norwich (12-5, 5-1 GNAC). Erica Rate posted nine points, connecting on 3 three-pointers.
Norwich came out fast, outscoring Emmanuel 22-2 over the opening 8:30 of the game. The Cadets could simply do no wrong in the early going, connecting on three three-pointers during the surge. The Saints, meanwhile, could not buy a basket, as they missed nine of their first 10 shots from the floor. Emmanuel roared back over the next 10:21, using a 28-5 run to take a 30-27 lead at the 1:09 mark. Jaggars sank a pair of free throws in the final minute to pull Norwich back to within 30-29 at halftime.
Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) paced the Saints in the first half with 10 points, while Bird netted nine points on three three-pointers. Emmanuel hit six trifectas in the opening stanza to aid its comeback effort.
Emmanuel blew the game open in the second half, outscoring Norwich 32-6 over the final 13:52, after the game was tied at 39-39. The Saints led 30-29 at halftime, and quickly extended their lead to 39-31, with a 9-2 spurt out of the intermission. An 8-0 run by the Cadets tied the game at 39-all, but it was all Emmanuel from there. The Saints began to seize control of the game by rattling off 11 unanswered points to open up a 50-39 lead. Then, following a Norwich basket, Emmanuel held the Cadets scoreless for a span of 9:05 and ran out to a 66-41 advantage with less than two minutes to go.
Emmanuel was on fire in the second half, shooting 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the floor in the stanza. Norwich, meanwhile, converted only 6-25 (24%) of its second half shots.
For the game, Emmanuel shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the floor, while Norwich shot 32.7 percent (16-of-49). The Cadets out-rebounded the Saints, 34-27. Emmanuel converted 24 Norwich turnovers into 34 points. The Saints also dominated the lane, outscoring the Cadets 36-12 in the paint.
Norwich wraps up its season-long four-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 31, when the Cadets host GNAC rival Johnson & Wales at Andrews Hall. Tip-off for the GNAC contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. Emmanuel will take on Rivier College in Nashua, N.H. on Saturday in a GNAC battle.