BOSTON, Mass. – The top-seeded Emmanuel College Saints defeated 8th-seeded University of Saint Joseph, 74-60, in the quarterfinal round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Tournament. With the win, Emmanuel improves to 21-5 on the season and the Saints will advance to host a GNAC semifinal game on Thursday night. USJ ends the year at 14-11 overall.
The Blue Jays flew out to an early 6-4 advantage, backed by the long-range shooting of Mary Hyde (Derby, Conn.). The Saints then put together a 6-0 run to take a 10-6 lead at the fifteen-minute mark, before Devon Diliberto (Waterbury, Conn.) drained a deep trey for USJ. Sophomore forward Vanessa Bramante (Stoneham, Mass.) provided a spark for the Saints off the bench with an assist down low and a free throw, as Emmanuel took a 15-9 lead.
The two teams exchanged baskets through the ten-minute mark, before Shaniya Rentie (Owings Mills, Md.) stuck a triple for the Saints and Emmanuel led 20-13. With the Saints in their full-court press, the Blue Jays struggled to get anything set up offensively, scoring just one field goal over the next three-minute span.
The Saints took a double-figure lead after a put-back down low by Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) and Emmanuel led, 29-18 with under four minutes to go in the half. Consecutive hoops by Hyde kept things close as time dwindled in the half, but the Saints were able to take a 35-28 lead in the locker room at halftime.
Senior guard Laura Benvenuto (Wyckoff, N.J.) led Emmanuel with 7 points and 5 rebounds at the break. Sophomore forward Jennifer Bujnowski (Salem, N.H.) added 6 points and 5 boards for the Saints. Hyde led the Blue Jays with 11 first-half points. The two teams combined for 25 turnovers in a sloppy first half of action.
O'Dwyer was the story of the second half for the Saints. The senior forward opened the frame scoring on three consecutive possessions, as Emmanuel surged out to a 41-30 lead. The hosts would make it a 10-4 run to start the half, before USJ signaled for a thirty second timeout, trailing 45-32.
O'Dwyer gave Emmanuel a twenty-point advantage, 58-38, with a drive and a lay-up with 7:30 left to play. She then netted her 17th point of the half, which gave the Saints a 65-49 lead with 3:27 remaining. The Blue Jays netted 10 points in the final three minutes, but the deficit was too much to overcome, as Emmanuel held on for the 74-60 win.
O'Dwyer recorded her 9th double-double of her senior season with game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Emmanuel. Freshman guard Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) scored a season-high 12 points off of perfect shooting from the field (4-4) and the line (4-4). Benvenuto finished with 12 points, 4 assists and 3 steals, while Bujnowski chipped in with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Sophomore guard Brittany Mikulanecz (Portland, Me.) dished out a game-high 5 assists in the win.
Hyde led a trio of double-figure scorers for the Blue Jays with 17 points. The junior also collected 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals to fill the stat line. Diliberto hit for 15 points, including 4 three-pointers. The junior guard now has 166 career three-balls. Sophomore forward Heather Framski (Prospect, Conn.) added 10 points and 6 rebounds in the effort.
The Saints will now advance to host the 5th-seeded Falcons of Albertus Magnus College in the GNAC semifinals on Thursday night at 7:00 PM. Albertus Magnus is advancing after a 75-67 quarterfinal upset of 4th-seeded Rivier College in Nashua, N.H.