HENNIKER, N.H. – The New England College men's basketball team won 53-47 over visiting Emmanuel College on Tuesday evening at the Bridges Gymnasium in Henniker, New Hampshire in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action.
THE BASICS
Score: Emmanuel 47, New England College 53
Records: Pilgrims 4-20, 2-11 GNAC | Saints 4-20, 3-10 GNAC
TURNING POINTS
- The first half was a defensive struggle as the Saints took a 23-18 lead going into the break.
- The 'Grims came storming out of the gate in the second half, using an early 13-0 run to surge into the lead, with NEC senior guard Theisen Lee (Cincinnati, Ohio) personally accounting for eleven of those points. Just like that, the hosts found themselves up 34-26 with 14:35 left in the game.
- The Saints slowly chipped away at the Pilgrim lead, pulling to within three off of a three-pointer from Emmanuel sophomore guard Connor Hanavan (Richmond, Mass.) with 8:19 remaining. But the 'Grims held on down the stretch with NEC sophomore guard Mike Strazzeri (Chichester, N.H.) burying two free throws with 58 seconds left to seal it.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Lee led the Pilgrims with 20 points with four steals and four rebounds.
- NEC senior guard and leading scorer Alex Williams (Miramar, Fla.), coming off a game that saw him reach the thousand career point milestone, scored 12 points while pulling down nine boards and adding two blocked shots.
- Emmanuel sophomore guard Mahari Guerrier (Stoughton, Mass.) led the Saints with 20 points on the night to go along with eight rebounds.
- Strazzeri added 11 points with five rebounds.
UP NEXT
- Up next for NEC, the team concludes their season on Saturday when they host Albertus Magnus College in a 3:30 p.m. game. Prior to the game, the Pilgrims will recognize their senior class as part of Senior Day.
- Emmanuel concludes their season on Saturday when they host Anna Maria College in a 3:00 p.m. game.
