Boston, Mass. – The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team remained undefeated, topping host Emmanuel, 84-73, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Thursday evening at the John Yawkey Center. With their fifth straight victory, the Falcons improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in conference action, while the Saints dropped their home opener to fall to 1-4 on the year and 1-1 in league tilts.
Albertus Magnus used a 19-1 run in the second half to erase an eight-point deficit and gain a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the contest. During the second frame, the Falcons used high pressure defense and up-tempo offense to rally for the triumph. AMC held Emmanuel to 33 percent shooting and forced eight turnovers during the final 20 minutes. The Falcons outscored the Saints, 55-39, down the stretch to win their 27th straight GNAC game.
Offensively, freshman forward Shontaey Lovell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and senior wing Marc Wilson (Jersey City, N.J.) each topped the 20-point plateau for the Falcons in the victory. Lovell continued his strong play in the post, recording his fourth double-double of the season thanks to a game-high 25 points and 15 rebounds. The 6-6 first-year connected on 10-of-14 shots from the field and also recorded a game-best three steals. After a slow start to the year, Wilson erupted for a season-high 20 points to go along with four rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Sophmore forward Jaqhawn Walters (Hartford, Conn.) added 12 points, eight rebounds and a team-high four assists for the visitors, while sophomore transfer Luciano Martinez (East Hartford, Conn.) contributed nine points off the bench.
It was a balanced offensive attack for Emmanuel, with three players scoring in double figures. Sophomore forward Alex Minetti led the charge for the Saints, pouring in a team-high 19 points and connecting on three shots from beyond the arc. The other Emmanuel players in double figures were senior center Kyle Davis with a double-double thanks to netting 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, while sophomore guard Colin Cordero also scored 13 on 5-of-10 shooting.
The teams traded buckets in the opening six minutes of play and the game was tied 10-10 after a jumper from Emmanuel's Will Jessup. The freshman sunk a layup a minute later to continue what would be a 8-0 EC run, giving the home team a 14-10 lead.
Both squads played evenly for the remainder of the half, until Cordero hit a layup and Minetti followed it with a buzzer-beater three to give the Saints a 34-29 lead heading into the break.
As a team, Albertus Magnus shot 46 percent from the field and held a slight, 40-38, advantage in points in the paint. Both teams hit 4-of-16 shots from three-point range and the Saints won the battle of the boards, 46-42. The back-and-forth contest saw eight ties and eight lead changes. The hosts largest lead of eight came early in the second half and the Falcons biggest edge was 11 and came with less than two and a half minutes left in regulation.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Monday, December 7, with a home non-conference clash against Fitchburg State. The Falcons, who are receiving votes in the most recent D3Hoops.com poll, will look to stretch their nation-best home winning streak to 60 games.
For the latest information on the men's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
