Saints beat the clock, edge Endicott
Dec. 6, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Emmanuel's Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) banked a running lay-up high off the glass as time expired, lifting the visiting Saints past Endicott College, 78-77, in a controversial buzzer-beating thriller on Saturday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. The win improves Emmanuel to 3-3, while Endicott slips to 2-3.
The Saints quickly raced out to a 12-5 lead off a steal and fast-break jumper from sophomore guard Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.). The visitors would push their lead to as many as 12 points in the first half, with the advantage capped off by another turnover and transition point by freshman Karin Bird (Lee, Maine).
The Gulls, trailing 27-15, rode the play of senior Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, N.H.) as the Blue and Green responded with an 18-3 run to take a 33-30 lead. The two teams would trade points in the final four minutes of the half, with Endicott holding a 41-40 advantage at the intermission.
The second half featured 10 ties and 11 lead changes. The Gulls took their largest lead of the frame with 10:54 left in regulation as Brittany Kelleher (Wakefield, Mass.) notched a hard-fought two points in the paint to give Endicott a 62-57 lead.
Emmanuel battled back from the deficit by rattling off a 9-2 burst. Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) knocked down consecutive buckets, a three-pointer and a pull-up jumper, followed by a lay-in from Davis after a nice pass from LeBel.
Nicole Duchesne and Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass.) scored on back-to-back possession with just under three minutes remaining to regain the lead for the Gulls, 73-72. Iman Davis then took the advantage back to the Saints' side as she fought to the line and hit on consecutive attempts. The see-saw affair continued as Endicott took the lead on a pair of free-throw by Vitale, and then Emmanuel took it right back off freebies from Liz Brooks (Charlton, Mass.).
Trailing by one with under a minute left in regulation, the Gulls game up with a strong defensive stop as Iman Davis was whistled for a double-dribble after she gathered up a loose rebound after her own missed shot. Endicott then fed senior Nicole Young (Rockland, Mass.) on the low post, where she attempted a turn-around jumper. Freshman Liz Brooks, who was attempting to block Young's shot, was called for a foul as she got the Endicott senior's hand on the attempt. Young was able to connect on both of her free-throw opportunities, giving Endicott a 77-76 lead with 19 seconds remaining.
Kristin LeBel fired-up a jumper off the left wing with just 12 ticks left on the clock. The attempt caromed off the back of the rim, with a melee ensuing in the paint for the loose rebound. The ball was eventually gathered by LeBel, who quickly signaled for a timeout.
After the Emmanuel timeout, Endicott attempted to call one of its own, and it appeared to be granted. With each team at their respective benches, the officials overruled the timeout, quickly sending each squad back onto the floor for the final five seconds of regulation. Emmanuel inbounded the ball directly to Iman Davis near the top of the arc, where she swept to her left and banked a high-runner of the top of the glass as time expired. The bucket beat the buzzer to steal a 78-77 win for the Saints.
Emmanuel was led by Davis' game-high 21 points. Liz Brooks chipped in 19 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Kristin LeBel also filled up the stat chart as she scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out six assists and had five steals in the win.
Endicott was paced by Nicole Duchesne's 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting. Ashley Vitale had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Gulls. Brittany Kelleher ended the day with eight points and four boards while Kaylin Burke (Leominster, Mass.) had five points to go along with eight assists.
Emmanuel turned 25 Endicott turnovers into 27 points, while the Gulls forced 22 giveaways and scored 23 points off of them. Endicott shot a near perfect 16-of-17 from the free-throw line (94.1%), and held a 40-36 advantage in rebounds.
Both Endicott and Emmanuel return to action on Tuesday evening. The Saints look to win their second in a row as they play at Lesley at 8:00 p.m. The Gulls look to rebound at Emerson with game-time slated for 7:00 p.m. in Boston, Mass.