SANTOS NETS 17 IN TOUGH 73-71 LOSS AT EMMANUEL

With 1.7 seconds remaining in the contest, Mount Ida College senior Matt Bennett (Rochster, NH/Spaudling) launched a three pointer trailing by two points that rimmed out handing the Mustangs their seventh Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) loss at Emmanuel College losing 73-71 Tuesday at the Jean Yawkey Center.  The Mustangs drop their overall season record to 7-8, 1-6 in the GNAC while the Saints improve to 8-8, 5-4 in conference play. 

Mount Ida opened up the game with a 5-0 run, but the Saints quickly tied it up with a lay-up and a three-ball from sophomore forward Tyrone Buchanan (Detroit, MI). Freshman guard Johrone Bunch (Meriden, CT/F.T. Maloney) rattled off the first seven points for the Mustangs.  The visitors surged ahead by as many as four points (13-9) with 14:20 on the clock.  Emmanuel then went on a 13-0 run and held the Mustangs scoreless for the next four minutes to take a 22-13 lead.

Mount Ida slowly began to chip away, connecting on 15 of their 19 free throws at 78.9 percent in the first half.  Sophomore forward Teddy Louis (Malden, MA/Malden) drained two freebies with no time on the clock to bring the Mustangs to within six points, 39-32, as the teams headed into the locker room.

Buchanan led the Saints in the opening half, hitting four of his five attempts from the floor.  However, his three first-half fouls allowed him to play just 9 minutes in the first half.  Junior guard Mike Jackson (New York, NY) added 9 first half points, knocking down 4 of 5 from the free throw line.  Freshman forward Eric Spanbauer (Niagra Falls, NY) hauled in a team-high five boards in just 8 minutes played in the first half.  As a team, Emmanuel shot 45.2 percent from the field in the opening stanza.

The Saints extended their lead to as may as nine points with 12:29 remaining.  After nine-straight points from junior guard Dave Santos (Mattapan, MA/Ben Franklin Institute), the Mustangs trailed by just two points, 57-55, with 9:59 to play.  Bennett knotted the game at 61-61, when he drove to the basket, made the lay-up, and was fouled with 7:30 on the clock.

The Mustangs' defense held Emmanuel scoreless from 8:28 until senior forward Mack Spellman (Clinton, NY) drilled two free throws at 3:51.  During the Saints' dry spell, Mount Ida powered an 8-0 run and led, 64-61.  The Mustangs were up by five (68-63), when J.P. Ventura (Riva, MD) nailed a tri-fecta for Emmanuel bringing the score to 68-66 with 1:55 to play. 

An and-one by Buchanan off an offensive board with 1:11 on the clock brought the Saints to within one point, 70-69.  After a miss by Santos and a defensive rebound by Spellman, Buchanan led senior guard Rob Williams-Hinton (Oak Park, MI) for a fast-break bucket that put the Saints on top, 71-70, with 56 ticks on the clock.

As Mount Ida began to foul, Jackson and Buchanan both made one of two free throws to give the Saints a 73-70 advantage with just 7 seconds remaining.  Emmanuel's Andres Bustamante (Amherst, MA) was the back breaker for the Mustangs with a blocked shot with 11 seconds left and two defensive rebounds at the end of the game to seal the victory.   

After a made free throw by junior guard Darren Martinez (Mattapan, MA/Brookline), Mount Ida trailed by two at 73-71.  The Mustangs had one final look with 2 seconds on the clock.  They inbounded to Bennett on the right wing, and the senior launched a long three that rimmed out as time expired and Emmanuel came away with the 73-71 win.

Santos led the Mustangs with 17 points, scoring 11 after the intermission.  Bunch hit for 14 points, while Bennett notched 13 points.  Martinez chipped in with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in a solid 34-minute effort.

Both teams boasted a balanced scoring attack with eight total players scoring in double figures for the game.  Buchanan and Williams-Hinton led the Saints with 17 points apiece.  Jackson added 15 points and 4 steals for the victors.  Spellman chipped in with 10 points, while Spanbauer gathered a game-high 9 boards in the win.

 Mount Ida men's basketball will host Suffolk University this coming Thursday with tip-off starting at 6:00 p.m.