It was a roller coaster of a game in the GNAC semi-final contest between #1 seeded Lasell College and #4 Emmanuel. After Emmanuel took a nineteen point lead in the first half, the Lasers began a thrilling come-from-behind chase to force the game into double-overtime, where the Saints took an incredible 94-91 win and will move onto the GNAC Tournament Championship game.
Lasell grabbed the opening tip and went ahead 4-0 with buckets by Brad Caravoulias (Dracut, Mass.) and Jose Guitian (Miami, FL). Emmanuel was quick to reply though with Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, MI) connecting on an elbow jumper followed by a three point play by Tyrone Buchanan (Detriot, MI) to grab the Saints first lead. After three more quick buckets, the Saints found themselves up 11-4 with just five minutes elapsed.
At 14:18, Lasell's Junior Sainval (Miami, FL) hit a jumper in the paint which started Lasell on a run to bring them back within one point of the Saints, at 11:37. Emmanuel, however, answered with an 18-4 run over the next five minutes, completed by back-to-back-to-back three's by J.P. Ventura (Riva, MD), Tony Carter-Hill (Baltimore, MD), and Mike Jackson (New York, NY), leaving Lasell behind 34-19.
The Saints remained in control of the game for the remainder of the half, getting off quick baskets and playing tight defense, while the Lasers labored to hit shots. A final trey by Guitian before the break brought the Lasers deficit to fourteen and a 43-29 halftime score.
Lasell came out with a renewed intensity in the second half. A spark by Sainval who made an immediate steal which he converted into a fast break layup set forth a chain of events that brought Lasell back within three of the Saints, by 14:37.
At the 13 minute mark, Lasell was trailing by five after a Jackson post bucket to bring the score to 55-50. Lasell's freshman point guard Kevin Richard (New Orleans, LA) responded by hitting a nothing-but-net three from the top of the arc, then followed that play forcing an Emmanuel turnover and dishing off to Caravoulias to tie the game at 55-all.
After two more ties, Charles Horton (Worcester, Mass.) gave Lasell their first lead since two minute into the first half when he fired in a three off a second chance opportunity, putting them ahead 62-59. The lead changed five more times, culminating in a three point edge by the visitors with 1:02 on the clock after Buchanan hit a key jumper in the paint.
With the clock stating time for two possessions in the game, Lasell missed on their first opportunity to close the gap. However, freshman forward Javon Williams (Mattapan, Mass.) came up with an incredible steal with 47 seconds left, and transitioned into a bucket, plus one to tie the contest at 76-76.
Emmanuel got three unsuccessful last chance shots off before the game was forced into overtime.
In overtime, Lasell went up by five with an up and under move by Guitian down low, followed quickly by a fast-break three by Caravoulias off an Emmanuel turnover. The Lasers defense was tough, yet the Saints cut their gap to just two after Williams-Hinton secured a difficult jump shot with a hand in his face. With 57 second remaining, Williams hit one of two free throws to give the Lasers a 3-point cushion. On the next possession, Jackson fired in a three from the right wing to tie the game for the 9th and final time. Guitian got the last shot and threw up a four-step deep three-pointer with one second on the clock that rolled around the rim and out, leading the teams into double-overtime.
The visitors went up by seven over the course of the first three minutes of the second overtime, leaving the outcome looking bleak for the Lasers. However, Lasell fought to keep themselves alive in the final minute-thirty, and came back within two points after a Guitian layup with 20 seconds left. Needing to secure possession of the ball, the Lasers were forced to foul, increasing the Saints edge to four after two successful free throws. Guitian layed in a final Laser bucket with :03 on the clock and fouled again, but time ran off before Lasell could create another opportunity for the win.
Williams-Hinton and Jackson each closed out the evening with 22 points for the Saints, Jackson adding 8 boards and five assists. Buchanan added 15, along with five boards, three steals and a block for the victors. Emmanuel's excessive 24 turnovers could have been a deciding factor for the Saints, however, they held a 57-48 rebounding advantage, plus a truly significant 80% free throw percentage, as opposed to Lasell's troubled 44% from the line.
Lasell's Guitian, who was named GNAC Player of the Year earlier in the day, had a 28 point, 17 rebound, 4 assist, and 3 block performance in his final home stint. Caravoulias, also a GNAC All-Conference honoree, ended with 18 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Sainval, while plagued with foul trouble which ended the game early for the senior, finished with eight points and 3 steals, and Williams added nine points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
The fourth seeded Saints (17-10) move on to the GNAC Championship game on Saturday, February 28th at #3 seed Saint Joseph's College of Maine.