Nashua, NH- The Emerson Lions
(13-6, 10-2) showed why they are one of the top teams in the Great
Northeast Athletic Conference with a convincing win over Rivier
(5-14, 2-10) 78-58.
The Raiders never seemed to be in rhythm during the game as they
turned the ball over 17 times and committed 21 fouls. Emerson
made it hard for the Raiders to get the offense going as they
grabbed 14 of their 34 rebound from the offensive boards. The
Lions also lived at the line as they converted 16 of their 20 free
throws during the game. The Raiders shot a solid 45%
from the field, but only managed to shoot 30% from the 3 point
line whereas the Lions shot 45% from behind the arc.
Emerson came out strong at the start as they went up
14-6 in the first 5 minutes of the game. Rivier got back
within 2 points after back to back 3's from Sophomore Joe
Granato (Arlington, MA), then the next time down,
Sophomore Bryant Mills (Philadelphia, PA) hit a
wide open Don Poitras(Bow, NH)for the easy slam to
tie the game back up with just over 10 minutes to go. After a
couple of free throws from Emerson, Mills hit a step back 3 for the
Raiders first lead of the game. After Emerson's Bryan Rouse
(E. Greenwich, RI) made a couple of tough baskets to go up 25-21,
Mills banked in a 3 to bring the score with in 1 with 6 minutes to
go in the half. The Loins then went on a 9-0 run thanks
to Carlos Negrete (Orange Country, CA) hitting two 3's in a
row. After a free throw and a poor turnover by the Raiders,
Alex Dempsey (Anchorage, AK) hit another set of 3's to go up 39-25
with 2 minutes left in the first stanza. After a lay-up by
Nick Bean (E. Longmeadow, MA) and a couple of
free throws by Emerson, the half ended with the Lions
up 41-27.
Rouse started the second half off for the Lions with a quick
basket to extend the lions lead to 13. After Poitras missed
the second of two free throws, Luke Brownell
(Hubbardston, MA)grabbed the offensive board and laid it
back in for a 43-36 score with 15 minutes to go. The Raiders
got it within 10 with Mills hitting a tear drop from the baseline,
but was quickly countered after Rouse hit a couple of free throws
after Mills got called for a technical foul. On the next
possession, Jeremy Shannon (Lowell, MA) hit his only 3 on the
night, then stole the ball from the Raiders on the inbounds play
and went down for the easy lay-up, which put the Lions up
57-40. On Emerson's next possession, Rouse hit his only 3 on
the night with just under 7 minutes to go. After the teams
traded baskets, Dempsey completed a 3 point play after he was
fouled by Granato to go up by 16 points. With 4 minutes to
go, Poitras got an offensive rebound and slammed it back
through the hoop to keep the crowd entertained, but as time was
running down, Drew Venter converted a lay-up to end the game with a
score of 78-58.
Rouse led the way for the Lions by scoring a game high 25 points
that included going 8-8 from the free throw line, and grabbed a
game high 12 rebounds for the game. Shannon had a very good
game for the Lions with 16 points, 7 rebounds, dished out 7
assists, and played 38 minutes in the game. Dempsey shot 6-10
from the floor for a total of 17 points on the night.
Don Poitras had an average night for himself with 17 points and
7 boards, but fouled out of the game with 2 and ½ minutes to
go in the game. Bean struggled in the game by going
just 2-9 from the floor for a total of 8 points, but 5 dimes
for the Raiders. Granato also struggled from the floor, but
managed to score 10 points in 10 minutes.
The Raiders have a few days off till the head to Providence, RI
and take on Johnson & Wales on Thursday February 4, 2010 at
7:00 PM. Emerson will be hosting Mount Ida on the same day
and time.
