Saints Nip Huskies; Emmanuel Advances to Round of 32

The Emmanuel College Women's Basketball Team pulled off an upset in the NCAA Tournament's opening round with a 55-49 win over the University of Southern Maine at Amherst College's LeFrak Gymnasium on Friday evening.  Sophomore shooting guard Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) poured in 22 points to lead the Saints past the Huskies, as Emmanuel advances to the NCAA round of 32.  With the win, Emmanuel improves to 22-7, while USM ends the season at 22-7.  The Saints will now face host Amherst College in the NCAA Regional Final on Saturday (3/7) at 5 p.m.

The game remained close throughout the first half as neither team could find a steady rhythm.  The two teams combined for only 40 first-half points, shooting 15-for-49 from the field.  Emmanuel led by as many as six, halfway through the first period, but a late run by the Huskies closed the gap to two points.  Stacy Kent sparked the offensive attack for USM, scoring eight of her 10 points in the first half.  Junior Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa) also scored eight first-half points for the Saints.  Emmanuel played strong defense throughout, while its offensive efforts gave the Saints a two-point lead, 21-19, heading into the locker room at halftime.

LeBel opened the second half for the Saints with a huge three-pointer, increasing the Saints' lead to five, 24-19, just minutes into the period. The Huskies' first lead of the second period came on a lay-up by freshman point guard Nicole Garland. The basket was matched by the Saints' offense as they quickly regained their lead, 30-29, five minutes into the second half. 

The game remained within one point for a little over a minute until a lay-up by Kent increased the USM margin to three with 12 minutes to play. The Huskies got their lead up to six before Emmanuel's junior guard Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) ended the run with a drive and lay-up that also drew a foul.  The Saints tied things up at 37-37 with 8:30 to go. The teams alternated a one-point lead until a big three-pointer from Kaylie DeMillo put the Huskies up two, 43-41.

Two mid-range jumpers and a three-point drive from LeBel gave the Saints a four-point advantage with just under four minutes to play. LeBel went on to shoot 6-for-12 from the field and an impressive 8-for-9 from the line in the win. The Huskies couldn't close the gap and watched three tri-fectas rim out in the waning moments of play, as Emmanuel came away with the 55-49.

LeBel led all scorers with 22 points, all of which came in the second half.  Davis added 15 points, 7 boards, and three assists for the Saints while freshman forward Liz Brooks (Charlton, Mass.) and junior forward Abby Brenkach (Germantown, N.Y.) combined for 14 rebounds under the boards for Emmanuel.  Sophomore point guard Casey Shevlin (Medford, N.Y.) played 32 minutes of tenacious defense and pushed the ball well offensively for the Saints.

Kaylie DeMillo was the Huskies' leading scorer with 12 points on 5-for-13 from the floor.  Kent chipped in with 10 points, while Haley Johnson and Kristi Violetee hauled in 10 boards apiece in the effort.

The winner of Saturday's NCAA Second Round match-up between Emmanuel and Amherst College will earn a trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The host Lord Jeffs notched a decisive 77-54 win over Babson College in Friday's nightcap played in Amherst.

(Courtesy of Amherst College Sports Information)