EMMANUEL UPENDS #14 BRANDEIS, 78-67
Dec. 1, 2009
BOSTON, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Women's Basketball Team upset the 14th-ranked Judges of Brandeis University, 78-67, in a tough non-conference battle between two perennial NCAA contenders. Senior guard Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) dropped a game-high 25 points to go long with her 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals to lead the host Saints. With the win, Emmanuel remains undefeated at 5-0 on the year, while Brandeis falls to 5-2 overall.
The Saints jumped on top of the Judges early, posting a quick 8-0 advantage after several fast-break buckets. Brandeis fought back, overcame the deficit, and eventually took the lead at 21-19 on a three-pointer by Kelly Ethier (Springfield, Mass.) with 7:42 on the clock. Two free throws by Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass.) gave the Judges a four-point lead, 23-19, at 5:35 and this would be their largest lead of the game.
A jumper by Davis and a hoop in the paint by Pamela Mobley (Worcester, Mass.) knotted the contest at 28-all with 3:06 remaining in the half. A free throw by Casey Shevlin (Medford, N.Y.), a jumper by senior center Meredith Shaw (Yarmouth, Me.) and a fastbreak layup by freshman forward Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) gave Emmanuel a five-point edge, 35-30, before Brighid Courtney (Southampton, Mass.) scored for the Judges to bring the contest to 35-32 at the break.
Emmanuel held on to the lead for the entire second half, stretching the margin to as many as 17 points (56-39) with 12:10 remaining in the game. The Saints' seventeen-point lead came after a 21-7 run which kicked off the second half for Emmanuel. During the stretch, the Saints received 9 points from junior guard Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) and 6 from Davis.
The Judges then went on a run of their own, scoring twelve unanswered points and cutting the deficit to five, 56-51, with 6:05 left to play. Brandeis got trifectas from Diana Cincotta (Plymouth, Mass.) and Carmela Breslin (McKees Rocks, Pa.) during the run.
During the last five minutes of play, the Saints knocked down 16 of their 19 free throw attempts and sealed the win at 78-67. Emmanuel finished the game at 23 of 28 from the line (82.1%). The Saints shot 44.8% (26-58) from the field to just 33.8% (22-65) by the Judges.
Davis' 25 points led all scorers. LeBel finished with 15 points, while Shevlin added 10 points and 4 assists for the Saints. Emmanuel scored 19 points off of their fast-break and made 10 steals in the win.
Brandeis also had three players scoring in double figures. Breslin led the Judges with 14 points in just 15 minutes of play. Senior center Kasey Gieschen (Boonton Township, N.J.) added 12 points and 6 rebounds, while Cincotta chipped in with 10 points. Courtney posted game-highs in rebounds and assists, with 13 and 8, respectively. Senior guard Jessica Chapin (Mendon, N.Y.), who entered the game 16 points shy of 1,000 for her career, was held to 7 points on 3 for 13 shooting.
Emmanuel (5-0) will return to action on Saturday, December 5th, when the Saints host the Gulls of Endicott College in a 1pm start. Brandeis will play on Saturday at Roger Williams University at 3pm.