The 4th seeded Emerson College Lions upset the 1st seeded Emmanuel College Saints in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Semifinals on Thursday night. The Lions defeated the host Saints, 68-58, and will advance to the GNAC Championship on Saturday (2/25).
Sophomore guard Will Dawkins (Springfield, MA) exploded for 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds to spark the Lions. Senior forward Steve Georgoulis (New York, NY) posted a double-double, scoring 17 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. Freshman guard Morales Hendricks (Dorchester, MA) came off the bench to add 12 points and 5 rebounds in the win.
The Lions’ biggest lead of the game came in the first half, when they led the Saints by 22 points. Emerson owned a 15-point lead at the break, 42-27. Emmanuel rallied back in the 2nd half and came within 3 points with 6:43 to play, but could not close the gap. The Lions out-rebounded the Saints, 42-31.
For Emmanuel, sophomore point guard Rob Williams-Hinton (Detroit, MI) led the way with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Freshman forward Mack Spellman (Clinton, NY) chipped in with 12 points and 8 boards in the loss.
The Lions improved their record to 14-13 on the season, while the Saints fell to 20-7. Emerson will now advance to the GNAC Championship on Saturday (2/25). The Lions will travel to Northfield, VT to take on the 2nd seeded Cadets of Norwich University.
Emerson College vs Emmanuel College 2/23/06 7pm at Jean Yawkey Center - Boston, MA EMERSON COLLEGE 68, EMMANUEL COLLEGE 58 EMERSON COLLEGE (14-13, 11-7 GNAC) Will Dawkins 6-11 7-8 20; Steve Georgoulis 7-13 3-5 17; Morales Hendricks 4-8 4-10 12; Jay O'Connell 3-6 0-0 9; Ben Chase 2-7 2-2 7; Joe Boylan 0-2 2-2 2; Alfredo Tovar 0-5 1-2 1. Totals 22-52 19-29 68. EMMANUEL COLLEGE (20-7, 17-1 GNAC) Rob Williams-Hinton 7-14 2-3 18; Mack Spellman 3-12 3-4 12; Levi Smith 3-6 3-4 9; Brian Lindsey 4-13 0-0 9; Jason Brown 2-3 0-0 5; Toliver Thomas 0-6 3-5 3; Andre Barbosa 1-2 0-0 2; Andres Bustamante 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-57 11-16 58. Emerson College............... 42 26 - 68 Emmanuel College.............. 27 31 - 58 3-point goals-Emerson College 5-11 (Jay O'Connell 3-5; Ben Chase 1-3; Will Dawkins 1-1; Alfredo Tovar 0-2), Emmanuel College 7-17 (Mack Spellman 3-7; Rob Williams-Hinton 2-4; Brian Lindsey 1-2; Jason Brown 1-2; Andre Barbosa 0-1; Toliver Thomas 0-1). Fouled out--Emerson College-None, Emmanuel College-Toliver Thomas; Levi Smith. Rebounds-Emerson College 42 (Steve Georgoulis 15), Emmanuel College 31 (Mack Spellman 8). Assists-Emerson College 14 (Jay O'Connell 4), Emmanuel College 14 (Rob Williams-Hinton 4). Total fouls-Emerson College 19, Emmanuel College 19. A-500 GNAC Semifinal Game #4 Emerson upsets #1 Emmanuel and advances to the GNAC Championship on 2/25