BOSTON, Mass. - The top-seeded Emmanuel Women's Basketball Team knocked off 5th-seeded Saint Joseph College (CT), 67-47, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinal contest played in the Jean Yawkey Center on Thursday night. Both teams entered the game with 19 wins on the season and with the Blue Jays seeking a program-record for wins in a season. Saint Joseph, which was making its first GNAC semifinal appearance since 2006, was overpowered by Emmanuel, which improved to 20-7 on the season. The Blue Jays ended their tournament run at 19-7 overall.
Emmanuel scored 29 seconds into the contest and Saint Joseph quickly matched it with a bucket down low. However, a baseline three-pointer from Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) and a hoop in the paint by Victoria Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y.) put Emmanuel up 10-4 and forced a Blue Jay timeout at the 15-minute mark. Emmanuel would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the night.
A three-ball from the left wing by Breanna Ockimey (Philadelphia, Pa.) gave the Saints a double-figure lead at 15-5 in the early going. A steal and a fast-break lay-up by Casey Shelvin (Medford, N.Y.) pushed it to a 7-1 Emmanuel run, as the Saints led 17-5 with ten minutes left in the half.
The experienced Saints continued to fluster the young Saint Joseph backcourt, forcing 8 Blue Jay turnovers in the opening 11 minutes of play. Emmanuel extended its trapping pressure and forced a Blue Jay shot clock violation with 8:01 on the clock, as the Saints led 23-7.
A spin move in the post by rookie forward Adele Ruel (Burlington, Conn.) and a baseline jumper by classmate Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) ended the scoring drought for Saint Joseph with the score set at 23-11. Emmanuel scored just four points over the next seven minutes, but continued to maintain a solid double-figure lead. The low scoring contest entered halftime with Emmanuel up, 27-13.
The hosts were dominant on the blocks in the first half, continuously taking advantage of mismatches in the low post, as O'Dwyer finished the half with 13 points and Johnson added 4 points in the paint for Emmanuel.
The first half featured a dismal shooting performance by both teams, with Emmanuel going 26.8% (11-41) from the floor and Saint Joseph shooting 22.2% (6-27) from the field. O'Dwyer's 13 points and 7 rebounds led all scorers at the break. Two players notched 4 points apiece for the visitors. The Blue Jays were plagued by 17 turnovers in the opening frame.
The second period opened with two quick hoops by Emmanuel, as the Saints opened up a 31-15 lead. After a Saint Joseph three-pointer by Mary Hyde (Derby, Conn.), Emmanuel's senior guard Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) completed a four-point play to put the Saints up, 37-18 with 17 minutes left to play. Two consecutive lay-ups by junior guard Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass) set the score at 43-20 and forced a Saint Joseph timeout with 15:38 on the clock.
Hyde began to heat up for the Blue Jays in the second half, draining a trifecta and a mid-range jumper on consecutive possessions, as Saint Joseph trailed 45-27 with 12:30 remaining. GNAC Rookie of the Year Devon Diliberto (Waterbury, Conn.) then hit one from long range, which was matched by a trey from LeBel at the other end and the Saints took a 50-30 lead into an Emmanuel timeout with 11:04 left to play.
Kirwan drilled two deep three-pointers from the right wing, which stretched Emmanuel's lead to 62-33 with 6:30 remaining in the game. An ensuing fast-break lay-up by Liz Daley (Sharon, Mass.) capped a 14-3 run by the Saints.
The Saints led by 67-41 at the two-minute mark. A 6-0 run by the Blue Jays in the final two minutes was not enough to overcome the twenty-point deficit and Emmanuel came away with the 67-47 semifinal win.
Kirwan led the way for the Saints with her game-high 23 points on 10 for 19 shooting. She hauled in 10 rebounds for a double-double on the night. O'Dwyer recorded her 7th career double-double with 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, with 8 coming on the offensive end. Shevlin and LeBel dished out 7 and 6 assists, respectively, in the win.
Saint Joseph was led by Hyde, who finished with 18 points on 7 for 15 shooting, while also grabbing 8 boards. Diliberto added 9 points for the Blue Jays.
In tonight's other semifinal match-up, 2nd-seeded Suffolk University defeated 3rd-seeded Saint Joseph's College (Me.), 71-62. Emmanuel will now host the Suffolk University Rams in the GNAC Championship Game on Saturday afternoon (2/26) at 1pm. The winner of the GNAC Championship will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.