BOSTON, Mass. - The Suffolk University Men's Basketball Team put on an incredible shooting display en route to crucial 71-54 victory over Emmanuel College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action played in the Jean Yawkey Center on Saturday afternoon. The two teams are in the hunt for one of the final spots in the upcoming GNAC play-offs. The cross-town match-up between these two local programs featured a battle of inexperience, as Suffolk started two sophomores and three freshmen and Emmanuel started three sophomores and two rookies. The win boosted the Rams' record to 6-15 overall and 2-12 in the GNAC, while Emmanuel fell to 4-17 on the season and 3-11 in the league.
Suffolk opened the contest with two consecutive three-pointers from sophomore guard Mike Gibbons (Ringwood, N.J.) on the left baseline and the Rams led 10-2 at the 15-minute mark. Another triple from Gibbons pushed it to 13-2 and forced an Emmanuel time-out with 14:39 left in the half. Emmanuel was held to just one field goal in the first five minutes of action.
Out of the time-out, freshman forward Patrick Ramsey (Easthampton, Mass.) dropped one in off the glass for the Saints to bring the margin to 13-4. Back-to-back treys on opposite ends from Emmanuel's Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) and Suffolk's Mickey McEntee (South Kingston, R.I.) brought the game score to 19-7 with twelve minutes left in the half.
In the opening twelve minutes of action, Suffolk scored 18 of its 31 points from behind the arc. After the 6th three by the Rams, Emmanuel was forced to call its second time-out at 31-13 and eight minutes left. Gibbons drained his 4th three-ball of the half to put Suffolk on top, 34-15 at the five-minute mark. Emmanuel then went on a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to 35-22 and forced a thirty-second time-out by the Rams at the 3-minute mark.
Gibbons' fifth triple of the half gave Suffolk a 40-24 lead with 2 minutes left in the first frame. Suffolk rattled off two more hoops before the break and took a 44-24 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Gibbons led all scorers at the half with 15 points and all of them coming from three-point land. Freshman forward Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, Mass.) collected a double-double at the break with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) was the high man for the Saints with 6 first-half points.
The Rams were hot from downtown throughout the opening frame, shooting 51.6% from the floor (16-31) and 66.7% from long-range (8-12). Suffolk out-rebounded Emmanuel in the first half, 23-19 and scored 11 second-chance points.
Emmanuel opened the second stanza with a runner in the lane from Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) to bring the score to 44-26. Everson's hoop was part of a 9-2 Saints' run to open the period and Suffolk called a full time-out at the fifteen minute mark with the score at 46-33.
The Saints went on to cut the Rams' lead to 10 points (48-38) after a fast-break lay-up by Armani Gill (Boston, Mass.) and a free throw by Everson. The Rams then quickly pushed the spread back to fourteen points after a bucket in the paint by Pepdjonovic and Suffolk led, 52-38 with 10 minutes to go.
The Rams hung on to the double-digit lead for the next three minutes and Emmanuel called for a full time-out at 54-40 and with 7 minutes on the clock. Out of the time-out, Gibbons continued his shooting clinic and drained his 6th three of the night to extend the Rams' lead to 57-40. Suffolk went back out in front by twenty points after two-straight jumpers by Sam Hutchins (Andover, Mass.) and led 67-47 at the two-minute mark.
Gibbons's 7th trey of the game came on the Rams' fast-break with just over a minute to play and Suffolk capped its scoring at 71 points. Emmanuel hit one final shot in the closing minute, a lay-up by Tony Carter-Hill (Baltimore, Md.), and the Rams came away with a 71-54 win.
Gibbons' 21 points was good for game-high scoring honors. He went 7 for 10 from behind the arc and hauled in 3 rebounds in a solid 37-minute effort. Pepdjonovic finished with 16 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, while Hutchins scored 9 points and dished out 9 assists for the Rams.
Duke led Emmanuel with 17 points, hitting 7 of 10 from the free throw line. Everson added 7 points and Eric Spanbauer (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) led the Saints on the glass with a team-high 11 boards.
Emmanuel will return to action on Tuesday night in Nashua, N.H. The Saints will take on Rivier College in a 7pm start.
(Story Courtesy of Emmanuel College Sports Information)