The 1st seeded Emmanuel College Men’s Basketball Team knocked off 8th seeded Rivier College in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals. The Saints defeated the Raiders, 80-63, picking up their 20th win of the season. This is Emmanuel’s first 20-win season in program history.
The Saints (20-6, 17-1 GNAC) were propelled by a balanced scoring attack, which featured four of Emmanuel’s five starters scoring in double figures. Junior guard Toliver Thomas (New Orleans, LA) and sophomore center Levi Smith (Tulsa, OK) led the Saints with 15 points apiece. Sophomore forward Brian Lindsey (New Orleans, LA) netted 14 points, pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, and dished out 5 assists, while freshman forward Mack Spellman (Clinton, NY) hit for 14 points, including 4 three-pointers. Sophomore point guard Rob Williams-Hinton (Detroit, MI) chipped in with 9 points and 9 rebounds in the win.
Emmanuel held its lead throughout the game, despite a 12-0 run by the Raiders in the final 3 minutes of the first half. Rivier wrapped up its season with 11 wins and 15 losses. The Raiders were 7-11 in the GNAC. Sophomore forward Danny Ford (Exeter, NH) led the Raiders with a game-high 19 points, including 5 three-pointers. Senior forward Matt Green (Merrimack, NH) added 13 points on 6 for 7 shooting.
The Saints will advance to the GNAC Semifinals on Thursday night (2/23) at 7pm. Emmanuel will host the 4th seeded Lions of Emerson College. The Lions defeated 5th seeded Johnson & Wales University in their quarterfinal match-up.
Rivier College vs Emmanuel College 2/21/06 7pm at Jean Yawkey Center - Boston, MA EMMANUEL COLLEGE 80, RIVIER COLLEGE 63 RIVIER COLLEGE (11-15, 7-11 GNAC) Danny Ford 6-10 2-2 19; Matt Green 6-7 1-2 13; Brian Stice 2-8 3-5 7; John McMahon 2-16 2-2 7; Lance Bisson 1-8 3-4 6; Jeff Carpenter 2-6 0-0 4; Felipe Lima 1-3 0-0 3; John McAllen 1-3 0-0 2; Chris Giordano 1-5 0-1 2; Mike Crawford 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-68 11-16 63. EMMANUEL COLLEGE (20-6, 17-1 GNAC) Levi Smith 5-10 5-6 15; Toliver Thomas 5-9 4-5 15; Brian Lindsey 6-10 1-2 14; Mack Spellman 5-12 0-0 14; Rob Williams-Hinton 3-10 2-2 9; Jason Brown 2-2 0-0 4; Trevor Blanchet 2-4 0-0 4; Nick Perras 1-2 0-0 2; Andre Barbosa 1-2 0-0 2; Sean Williams 0-1 1-2 1; Andres Bustamante 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-63 13-17 80. Rivier College................ 28 35 - 63 Emmanuel College.............. 32 48 - 80 3-point goals-Rivier College 8-25 (Danny Ford 5-8; Felipe Lima 1-2; John McMahon 1-5; Lance Bisson 1-4; John McAllen 0-1; Chris Giordano 0-1; Mike Crawford 0-2; Brian Stice 0-2), Emmanuel College 7-18 (Mack Spellman 4-9; Rob Williams-Hinton 1-4; Brian Lindsey 1-2; Toliver Thomas 1-2; Sean Williams 0-1). Fouled out--Rivier College-None, Emmanuel College-None. Rebounds-Rivier College 28 (Brian Stice 5), Emmanuel College 57 (Brian Lindsey 12). Assists-Rivier College 17 (John McMahon 6), Emmanuel College 22 (Jason Brown 5; Brian Lindsey 5). Total fouls-Rivier College 14, Emmanuel College 17. A-200 GNAC Quarterfinal Game Emmanuel advances to take on Emerson in the GNAC Semifinals on 2/23 at 7pm.