FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Emmanuel to host St. Joe's (Maine)
in 2019 GNAC title game rematch
NO. 1 Emmanuel 58, NO. 4 Suffolk 57
BOSTON, Mass. – Seniors Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda (Cambridge, Mass.) and Kayla Weaver (West Haven, Conn.) combined for 41 points to power top-seeded Emmanuel College past No. 3 Suffolk University, 58-57, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Semifinal action Thursday evening on the Andy Yosinoff Court. Ramirez-Tejeda posted her nation-leading 21st double-double of the season and Weaver became the 25th player in program history to score 1,000 points in an EC uniform during the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Saint led 51-43 after three quarters of play but Suffolk opened the final quarter with a 7-2 spurt to cut the lead to a single possession at 53-50 following a back-door layup by junior forward Jordan Hipwell (Ballston Spa, N.Y.) with 6:36 to play.
- Both sides traded hoops to a 56-54 score with less than two minutes to play when Suffolk junior guard Jenni-Rose DiCecco (Falmouth, Mass.) connected on a three pointer from the top of the key to give the Rams their first lead of the second half at 57-56 with 1:58 left.
- On Emmanuel's ensuing offensive possession, the Saints missed a three but Weaver was their for the rebound and put-back to lift the hosts back on top, 58-57, with 1:30 remaining.
- EC forced a Ram's turnover with 1:13 on the clock, drawing a foul on their next set with just one tic left on the shot clock to try and extend the lead from the line but both free throw attempts back rimmed. Sophomore forward Riley Lahiff (North Attleboro, Mass.) came up with a huge offensive board on the second miss to extend the possession but the Saints ultimately turnover it back over to the Rams with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.
- Out of a timeout, the Rams tried to isolate Hipwell in the post to take the lead but EC sophomore forward Loredana D'Agostino (Broad Brook, Conn.) came up with a huge block with five seconds left in the game.
- After several attempts to inbound the ball under their own hoop, Suffolk got the ball in play for a chance at the win but the Rams shot clanked the iron to secure Emmanuel's second straight trip to the GNAC finals with a 58-57 win.
- Suffolk was in control in the first quarter of play, leading 14-13 after one before Emmanuel picked up the defensive intensity in the second quarter to take a 34-27 lead into the break aided by a buzzer-beating three by junior guard Jamad Fiin (Boston, Mass.). Ramirez-Tejeda also scored 13 points in the quarter on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
- In an evenly matched third quarter, Emmanuel increased its lead to as many as 12 (42-30) with 6:05 to play before Suffolk trimmed the hosts lead to eight at 51-43 to set up the thrilling GNAC Semifinal finish.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Ramirez-Tejeda finished the night with a game-high 26 points to go along with 13 rebounds for her fifth consecutive and 21st double-double of the season. The senior is also two points shy of moving into third all-time in scoring at Emmanuel and would surpass Fiona O'Dwyer '13 who finished her Emmanuel career with 1,557 points.
- Weaver finished the night with 15 points including the 1,000th of her Emmanuel career which came during the first quarter. She is the 25th player in program history to reach the milestone and the first since Ramirez-Tejeda hit the mark last season in the GNAC Championship game vs. Saint Joseph's (ME).
- DiCecco paced the Rams with a team-high 16-point outing while Hipwell finished with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
- D'Agostino also added 10 boards in the win marking the fifth time this season she's grabbed 10+ rebounds for the Saints.
- Emmanuel improves to 16-1 on the year when holding opponents to less than 60 points.
- The Rams owned a 48-40 edge in rebounding marking the first time EC has been outrebounded since February 1st when they last played Suffolk.
- EC improves to 32-3 all-time against their crosstown rivals.
UP NEXT
- The Saints advance to the GNAC Championship for a repeat of the 2019 match-up, hosting No. 2 Saint Joseph's College (ME) on Saturday, February 29 at 1:00 PM. Emmanuel captured last year's title with a 65-64 instant classic up in Standish, Maine for the program's 16th GNAC crown.
- The Rams close out the 2019-20 campaign with an 18-9 final record.
Courtesy of Emmanuel Athletics Communications.
NO. 2 Saint Joseph's Maine 55, NO. 3 Regis 53
STANDISH, Maine – #2 Saint Joseph's College (19-8) defeated #3 Regis College (15-12), 55-53, in a thrilling Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Tournament semifinal at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening.
With the win, Saint Joseph's advances to the GNAC Championship for the fifth-consecutive season and will play at top-seeded Emmanuel College in the title bout on Saturday at 1:00 PM. The GNAC winner earns an automatic berth into the NCAA DIII Tournament, which begins on Friday, March 6th.
For Regis, the loss signals the end of the 2019-20 campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Going into the fourth quarter, the Monks trailed by three (46-43) but claimed their first lead since the opening minutes when freshman Bri Jordan (Gray, Maine) capped a 6-0 surge with a layup and 8:36 left to play. The lead changed hands four times with the last swap favoring Saint Joseph's, as senior guard Julia Quinn (Fryeburg, Maine) drilled a three-pointer to put her team up 52-51 with 4:42 remaining.
Senior forward Lexi L'Heureux-Carland (Bridgton, Maine) provided the Monks with much-needed breathing room by making a layup at the 3:46 mark before Regis sophomore forward Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) hit a pair of shots from the charity stripe to make it a one-point game with 37 seconds to play. On the Monks' following possession, Jordan was fouled and hit one freebie to again make it a two-point contest. With 10 seconds left, the Pride had one last chance to pull off the upset but a last-second shot was off the mark.
The Monks struggled with the Pride full-court press in the first quarter, as Regis forced seven SJC turnovers and held St. Joe's to just eight shots from the floor en route to securing a 22-10 lead through 10 minutes of play. Regis freshman guard Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) scored 15 of her team's 22 points in the first frame. The Pride led by as many as 15 points in the opening quarter.
Saint Joseph's fared better with the Pride press in the second quarter and saw L'Heureux-Carland score nine points in just five minutes to help the hosts outscore the visitors by a 23-17 margin in the stanza and cut the deficit to 39-33 at the half.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's held a 24-11 advantage in bench points and a 22-16 lead in points in the paint…The Pride made just four of 28 shot attempts (14.3%) from the floor in the second half.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
· Quinn paced the Monks with 14 points and was 3-for-6 from three-point range
· L'Heureux-Carland came off the bench to score 11 points off a 5-for-8 shooting effort with three boards in just 15 minutes
· Junior guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) scored eight points with three rebounds
· Sophomore guard Grace Philippon (Glenburn, Maine) chipped in with six points, three rebounds, and a pair of steals
LEADERS – REGIS:
· Gonzalez led all scorers with 23 points and added seven caroms, five steals, and four assists
· Taylor Iorfino netted 10 points with six rebounds and a pair of assists
· Searcy added seven points, six boards, and two steals
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-1 in the history of the series with Regis College and has now defeated the Pride in five-consecutive meetings.
Courtesy of SJC Athletics Communications.
Semifinals - Thursday, February 27 (at high seeds)
Game 5: #1 Emmanuel 58, #4 Suffolk 57
Game 6: #2 Saint Joseph's of Maine 55, #3 Regis 53
Championship - Saturday, February 29
Game 7: #2 Saint Joseph's of Maine at #1 Emmanuel - 1:00 PM
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
– #TheGNAC –