BOSTON – A hot start and strong finish led Emmanuel Women's Basketball (11-11, 8-3 GNAC) to a 75-52 victory over Colby-Sawyer (7-16, 4-8 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Saturday afternoon on Andy Yosinoff Court. The Saints began the matchup with 11-0 run and trailed for just 20 seconds over the 40 minutes of basketball.

Prior the game, Emmanuel honored graduating seniors Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.), Shakirah Ketant (Easton, Mass.), Kiera Eubanks (Portland, Maine), Alexis Sanders (Saco, Maine), and Allison Wild (Tewksbury, Mass.) for their contributions to the Saints Women's Basketball program.

Eubanks got the scoring started for the Saints with a layup that began an early 11-0 run for the Saints over the opening five minutes. The Chargers responded with a run of their own, outscoring Emmanuel 16-3 over the next three and a half minutes to take their first and only lead of the matchup. The Saints responded by retaking their advantage through an Emma Tenters (Jaffrey, N.H.) three-pointer and held a 21-19 lead at the end of the opening 10 minutes.

With the Saints hanging on to a one-point advantage early in the second quarter, Emmanuel erupted on a 17-1 run to open their largest lead of the game at 40-23. The run lasted over five minutes and helped the Saints take a 44-30 lead into the break.

The visitors were unable to close the deficit in the second half with Emmanuel never leading by less than 11 throughout the final 20 minutes. A huge Olivia Matela three-pointer with five minutes remaining in the matchup followed by an Alexis Sanders layup drew a roar from the Saints crowd as the lead extended to 73-51. Emmanuel went on to secure their eighth GNAC victory of the season with a final score of 75-52.

Matela led all scorers with 22 points to go along with seven rebounds, five steals, and four assists. Matela has now scored at least 20 points in three of her last four games. Kiera Eubanks added 10 points and seven rebounds while Desiree Robinson (New Haven, Conn.) contributed eight points and eight rebounds for the Saints. Courtney Brewster (Castleton, VT) led the way for the visitors with 17 points in the loss.

Up next, Colby-Sawyer returns home for a GNAC matchup with Regis College on Tuesday (2/13) at 5:30 P.M. The Saints return to action on Tuesday (2/13) at 5:30 P.M. for their final home game of the regular season in a GNAC contest with New England College.