Despite a double-double by freshman Theo Robinson (Springfield, Mass.) and a program record 19 rebounds, the Emmanuel College men's basketball team dropped a conference match to Lasell College, 83-57 on Tuesday evening at the Jean Yawkey Center in Boston, Mass. The Saints fell to 4-8 on the season while the Lasers improve to 4-9.
Freshman D.J. Fazio (Methuen, Mass.) opened the scoring for the Saints in the first minute with a chance at a three-point play, after being fouled behind the arc while shooting. The rookie sank two of the three chances for Emmanuel but junior Javon Williams (Mattapan, Mass.) leveled the scoring moments later with a layup under the hoop for Lasell.
The Lasers moved ahead with a 9-4 advantage, with Williams scoring six of his team's points during the run. Junior Derrick Harper (Boston, Mass.) followed suit with seven more points when Lasell pushed their score to 18 (following a 16-2 run), but Emmanuel senior Tony Carter-Hill (Baltimore, Md.) hit a three-pointer from the right corner and junior Nate Jackson (Middleboro, Mass.) responded with a bucket of his own. The Lasers continued to play a strong game on both sides of the ball, ultimately extending their lead with a 29-9 score.
Junior Andre Fuller (Troy, N.Y.) helped give the Saints a boost with two buckets and Robinson grabbed a strong board and followed with a layup t cut the deficit to 16 points with eight minutes remaining in the half. Sophomore Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) added two points down low for the hosts to make it a 33-20 game with just over five minutes left in the half. Sophomore Armani Gill (Boston, Mass.) also showed his offensive and defensive skills in the frame, with a steal and rebound and followed that with two great passes down low. Jackson added a powerful dunk while on a fast break for Emmanuel to give the crowd a boost of energy at the end of the half. Despite the exciting play, Lasell held a 43-26 edge when the clock ran out in the half.
Williams led all scorers with 16 points in the frame with Fuller and Robinson leading Emmanuel with six each. Harper also finished the frame in double-digits with 11 points and sophomore Sean Bertanza (Seymour, Conn.) added 10 in the half. Lasell capitalized with 19 points on the Saints' 13 turnovers while Emmanuel's bench scored eight points compared to three from the Lasell reserves.
The Lasers had an impressive showing on the floor, converting 17-33 shots from the field for 51.5%, while the Saints went 11-30 for 36.7%. Lasell also won the rebounds battle with 22 boards in the first half compared to 18 from the Saints, with seven of the 18 coming from Robinson.
Junior Isaiah Duke (Albany, N.Y.) grabbed his first points of the game with a free-throw to open the second half for the Saints. Unfazed, sophomore Jordan Fuller (Oviedo, Fla.) countered for the Lasers with a steal near half-court and finished with a fast break layup on the other end. A layup-and-one by Williams for Lasell gave the visitors 52-35 lead with 13:52 left in the game.
The Lasers continued to push hard on the floor with 16 steals with 12 minutes left in the game. Carter-Hill helped Emmanuel stay in the game with a three-pointer on the left side and freshman Josh Welles (Philadelphia, Pa.) added a floater from the lane a little while later. Lasell pushed the score to its largest lead of the game with a 28-point edge and a 72-46 lead.
Sophomore Brett Heimann (Miami, Fla.) drained a three-pointer for the Lasers to help them surpass the 80-point mark on the day. The Saints continued to play hard as Gill notched his tenth point in the contest on a three-pointer from the top of the arc after fluid passing down low by his teammates.
Lasell would go on to win the game, 83-57.
For the Saints, Robinson tallied a team-high 16 points to accompany his record, 19 rebounds. The hosts shot 24-71 from the floor while grabbing 47 rebounds in the contest.
Williams (30 points), Harper (22) and Bertanza (14) all scored in double-digits for the Lasers, with Harper adding 14 rebounds to his totals. The visitors went 32-66 from the field while grabbing 44 rebounds and tallying 16 steals.
The Saints' bench scored 26 points for the team in the game compared to Lasell's nine but the Lasers had 33 points off turnovers while Emmanuel scored 25.
Emmanuel will travel to play Rhode Island College on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.