Saints Outlast Rams, 67-65
Boston, Mass. - The Emmanuel College Saints (2-8, 1-3 GNAC) picked up their first win in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) this season outlasting the Suffolk University Rams (5-6, 1-3 GNAC), 67-65 on Tuesday evening at the Regan Gymnasium.
The Saints managed to overcome a 13-point deficit in the game's final nine minutes for the victory. Junior Tony Carter-Hill (Baltimore, Md.) hit a crucial three-pointer with :24 seconds remaining to give the Saints' a three-point edge which they were able to hold for the remainder of the contest.
Sophomore Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) led all scorers with 18 points in the game, while sophomore Andre Fuller (Troy, N.Y.) finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds before fouling out.
The Rams had three players finish in double-digits scoring. Freshman Colin Halpin (Melrose, Mass.) finished with a team-high 16 points along with three blocked shots. Sophomore Mike Gibbons (Ringwood, N.J.) put up 15 points, while junior Mike Fleming (Exeter, N.H.) had 11 points. Freshman Matt Pepdjonovic posted 20 rebounds, including 13 defensive boards to go along with 8 points on the evening.
The game started off slow as both teams struggled from the field as Emmanuel only shot 20 percent in the first half, as they were outscored 31-20. Emmanuel managed to shot 46 percent in the second half as they outscored the Rams 47-37.
The game went back and forth in the final six minutes as the Saints were able to chip away at the Ram's lead tying the game with 5:48 to go as Duke hit a pair of free throws to even things up at 54 a piece. Emmanuel managed to grab a lead as big as four points before the Rams evened things back up within the final minute as Colin Halpin hit a pair of free throws to even it back up at 60-60.
After Carter-Hill's big shot, Emmanuel put the game away as freshman Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) hit all four free throws.
Suffolk had a couple chances late to tie but were able to convert from the line and fell short of another dramatic ending.
Both teams will be back in GNAC action on Thursday evening. Emmanuel will host Rivier College at 7:00pm. The Rams host Norwich University at 7:30pm at the Regan Gymnasium.