SAINTS ADVANCE TO GNAC SEMIFINALS WITH 66-54 WIN OVER NORWICH
Feb. 21, 2012
BOSTON, Mass. - The top-seeded Emmanuel College Women's Basketball Team defeated the 8th-seeded Cadets of Norwich University, 66-54, in the quarterfinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament played in the Jean Yawkey Center on Tuesday night. The Saints received their No. 1 seed after a perfect 13-0 run in conference play during the regular season. Tonight's win boosted Emmanuel to 20-6 on the season and extended the Saints' streak of consecutive 20-win seasons to twelve. Emmanuel will now advance to the GNAC semifinals on Thursday night. Norwich finishes their season at 11-15 overall.
The fleet-footed Saints jumped out to a quick 6-3 lead after a basket on the break by sophomore center Victoria Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y.), forcing a timeout by the Cadets. The Saints' pressure defense forced seven Norwich turnovers in the opening five minutes and Emmanuel went up 10-5 after another fast-break bucket by Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass.) at 14:41.
The Cadets then went on an 8-0 run over the next 90 seconds to take their first lead of the game. A backboard three-ball by Kelsey Lotti (South Yarmouth, Mass.), followed by a baseline jumper by Tara Stevenson (Watertown, Conn.) knotted the contest at 10-all. Sophomore guard Kristin Brown (Williamstown, Vt.) then buried a trifecta from the left wing as the Cadets surged ahead, 13-10.
The Saints responded with a 9-0 run of their own and took at 19-13 edge at the ten-minute mark after a hoop in the post by Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.). Emmanuel made it a 16-1 run after Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) completed a three-point play and Kirwan put one in on the break, as the Saints extended their lead to 26-14 with 7:30 to go in the half.
The two teams traded hoops through the five-minute mark, until Ockimey knocked down a three and Emmanuel led, 34-18, with 4:20 on the clock. Curry dialed in again from long-range and cut Norwich's deficit to 11 at 34-23 with three minutes left. Ockimey then dropped another one from behind the arc at the opposite end to push the Saints lead back up to fourteen.
Ockimey's third trey of the half came at the one-minute mark, giving Emmanuel a 40-25 lead. She would knock one more down before the end of the half and the hosts went into the locker room, leading 43-26.
Ockimey led all scorers at the break with 15 points on 5-9 shooting. All four of her first-half three pointers came in the final five minutes of the half. Kirwan added 10 points and 7 rebounds in the opening frame for the Saints. Emmanuel overwhelmed Norwich on the boards, out-rebounding the Cadets, 33-15. The Saints forced 18 Cadet turnovers and Emmanuel scored 22 points off the Norwich errors in the first half.
Freshman guard Aliah Curry (Windsor, Mass.) led Norwich with 8 points and 3 assists, playing the full twenty minutes for the Cadets.
Emmanuel opened the second half with a 9-2 run, before Curry knocked down a runner and the Cadets trailed, 52-30, at the fifteen-minute mark. The Saints were held scoreless over the next four minutes, but Norwich managed just two points during the stretch. Emmanuel signaled for a thirty-second timeout, up 52-32 with 12:05 remaining.
Kirwan ended the Saints' drought with a baseline jumper at 11:02. Three hoops by O'Dwyer were part of an 11-0 Emmanuel run and the Saints went up 63-32 with 8:11 left. Another three-pointer by Curry kicked off a 20-2 Norwich run that spanned the next seven minutes of play, but Norwich was never able to overcome their double-figure deficit. Emmanuel's junior guard Chenae Earle (South Orange, N.J.) sank a free throw and Curry drained another bucket in the final minute before the contest ended at 66-54, Emmanuel.
Ockimey led a trio of double-figure scorers for the Saints with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Kirwan finished with a solid line of 15 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 5 assists, while O'Dwyer notched her 6th double-double of the year with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Cadets were led by Curry's 17 points and 4 assists. Lotti finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Jessalyn Sweeney (Standfordville, N.Y.) grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds in the effort.
The Saints will now advance to the GNAC semifinals on Thursday night (2/23). Emmanuel will host the 4th-seeded Rams of Suffolk University in the Jean Yawkey Center at 7:00pm. The Rams defeated the 5th-seeded Mustangs of Mount Ida College, 93-59, in one of tonight's other quarterfinal contests.