Pride Men’s Basketball Unable to Hold Off Emmanuel Offense

WESTON, Mass. - Regis College stayed with GNAC North Division leader Emmanuel College throughout the night, but the Saints were able to hold off the Pride for an 85-77 victory Wednesday evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game at Higgins Court.

Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) shot 8-for-13 from the field as he led the Pride with 19 points, while Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) finished with 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) collected 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Tate Pike (Bellingham, Mass.) contributed nine points off the bench.

The Pride scored the first seven points of the game and opened an 11-3 lead before Emmanuel's Bryant Ciccio hit a three-pointer to start a 17-4 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Ismani Cepeda. After Zaire Baines picked up a steal and layup to increase the Saint lead to 33-26, the Pride battled back, tying the game at 37-37 on a layup by Ned Fitzpatrick (Providence, R.I.) before a traditional three-point play from Donte Pope gave Emmanuel a three-point halftime advantage.

Thompson scored the first basket of the second half, but consecutive three-pointers by Ricky Martin, Pope, and Ciccio extended the Saint lead to 51-41 three minutes into the half. Perez scored five points during a 9-3 Regis run to bring the Pride within four points at 54-50, but three-pointers by Martin and Cepeda helped the Saints increase their advantage back into double digits.

The Pride hung tough, closing to within two points at 75-73 with 3:49 remaining in regulation on consecutive layups by Rau and Thompson. The teams would trade points, with Rau making a layup with 1:26 left on the clock to bring Regis back within two points at 79-77, but Emmanuel would go 6-for-7 from the free throw line in the final minute to put the game away.

Six players reached double figures in scoring for the Saints, led by Pope with 18 points along with a game-high 11 rebounds. Baines went 6-for-9 from the field, including 4-for-5 from behind the three-point line, to finish with 17 points, while Martin hit three three-pointers as he scored 13 points. Ryan Grijalva collected 11 points, and Ciccio and Cepeda contributed 10 points apiece.

As a team, Emmanuel shot 47.5 percent (29-for-61) from the field, including 15-for-29 from behind the three-point line, and 85.7 percent (12-for-14) from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Regis shot 47.7 percent (31-for-65) from the field and 83.3 percent (10-for-12) from the charity stripe. Both teams grabbed 34 rebounds and took care of the ball, with the Pride committing just eight turnovers while the Saints turned the ball over 10 times.

Regis College (7-6, 3-3 GNAC) concludes the three-game homestand against Dean College Saturday, Jan. 14, starting at 3 p.m. Emmanuel College (10-4, 6-0 GNAC) heads to New London, N.H., to face Colby-Sawyer College Saturday beginning at 3 p.m.