Words by Juliana Cimino
The Emmanuel College Women’s Basketball Team faced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Engineers in a non-conference home game on Thursday, November 18th at 7:00PM. Both teams entered the game undefeated. The Saints were 2-0 going into the game, having won both of their previous games in the EC Tip-Off Tournament. The Engineers started the season 3-0, with all three wins coming on the road.
Graduate student guard Jamad Fiin (#4), senior guard Korie Mathis (#2), senior forward Riley Lahiff (#14), first-year forward Yannie Chan (#13), and senior forward Loren D’Agostino (#45) were the starters for Emmanuel.
Throughout the first quarter of the game, the score went back and forth. Emmanuel was up 20-17 at the end of the first. MIT dominated the second quarter holding Emmanuel to just two points. At halftime, MIT was up 34-22. After giving up 17 points in the second quarter, the Saints knew they had to step up their play. Emmanuel made an unbelievable comeback in the third quarter and took the lead with a score of 42-41 going into the fourth quarter.
Fiin had a 3-point play early in the fourth quarter. The score was neck and neck until the very end. It was 58-56, MIT, with seconds left in regulation. Chan got fouled with 4.9 seconds remaining and sunk her two free throws to tie the game 58-58. The Engineers’ Coach took a timeout to advance the ball, but the Saints did not allow MIT to score, sending the game into overtime.
The crowd was into the exciting, nail-biter of a game the whole time but especially in overtime. Overtime began with Chan getting fouled while going up for a layup, the shot fell, and she hit the free throw to complete the 3-point play. This got the Saints and their fans in the stands fired up.
The Saints played great in OT and managed to go up 73-62 with 56.3 seconds remaining, at which MIT took a timeout. The Engineers tried to close the gap but were unsuccessful. The Saints held onto their overtime lead and finished the night with another tally in their win column. The final score of the game was 75-68. MIT’s record fell to 3-1, while Emmanuel is now 3-0 on the season.
Chan‘s performance was impressive. She played a great game on both sides of the court. She shot six for ten from the field and made nine of her eleven free throws, finishing the night with 21 points. Chan also had four rebounds (two offensive and two defensive), three assists, five steals, and two blocks. Fiin also contributed to the team’s win. She scored 15 points and had seven rebounds (one offensive and six defensive), along with five assists and four steals.
D’Agostino had a significant impact tonight as well, recording her second double-double in a row, with 11 points and 10 rebounds (five offensive and five defensive). Lahiff was the game leader in rebounds for the Saints, with 11 rebounds (six offensive and five defensive). She also had eight points, three assists, three steals, and a block. Junior guard Caitlin Barker (#3) added nine points, and sophomore guard Olivia Matela (#5) had seven points.
The Saints’ next home game is another non-conference matchup against the Amherst College Mammoths on Tuesday, November 30th at 7:30PM.
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