Men's Hoops Come Up Short in Conference Battle at Emmanuel

BOSTON, Mass. - The Elms College Men's Basketball traveled to Emmanuel College for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) matchup Monday evening.

BASICS
Score: Elms College 62 | Emmanuel College 89
Records: Blazers 4-17, 4-6 (GNAC) | Saints 4-17, 3-7 (GNAC)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Elms would start the contest with the first basket of the game, after junior forward RJ Mayfield (Springfield, Mass.) would connect with sophomore guard Andrew Ciaglo (Hadley, Mass.) for a jump shot, but Emmanuel would answer quickly with a layup to even the score 2-2. The Saints would then add a three-point shot to take the lead momentarily, until Ciaglo would make a three-pointer of his own, after receiving a pass from junior guard Aden Goffe (New Haven, Conn.), followed by a breakaway layup from senior forward/center Addison Phifer (Hadley, Mass.) to take back the lead. Shortly thereafter, Emmanuel would retake the lead after scoring a layup and a three-point shot, but the Blazers would continue to hold strong, with the assistance of steals by Phifer and Ciaglo, a three-point shot from senior guard/forward Aaron Sanchez (the Bronx, N.Y.), a pair of free throws by Ciaglo, and layups from Goffe and Sanchez. The two conference foes would continue to battle to control the score, with Elms earning opportunities with the help from a steal by junior forward Adam Sarlan (Chicopee, Mass.), a layup from graduate student forward Neilon Bridgeman (Brooklyn, N.Y.), sophomore guard Jaiden Lopez (Lebanon, Conn.) making a three-point shot, and a layup by junior center/guard/forward Edgardo Jacob Cancel (Northampton, Mass.) to take a 23-21 lead. The two sides would continue their battle, with Sarlan making two successful free throw attempts, Goffe making a layup, a three-point shot and a steal by Ciaglo, and a block from Phifer, but as the clock began to wind down towards the final minutes of the first half, the Saints would take the lead going into the halftime break, 34-30.

The second half would begin in the favor of the Blazers, with Mayfield making a pair of jump shots and a layup, along with a steal by Ciaglo, to cut the Emmanuel lead down to 38-36, but the Saints would make a jump shot soon thereafter. Phifer would draw a foul and make a free throw, but their conference foe would gain an additional 11 points to their lead. Elms would continue their efforts on both ends of the court, with Goffe making a steal, a three-point shot, and two layups, Cancel recording a block, and Sarlan adding a second steal, but Emmanuel would continue their offensive success, increasing their lead to 67-44. But as the Saints maintained control of the score in the final minutes of the contest, the Blazers efforts would not be ignored, as Goffe would another jump shot, senior guard Taje Green (Palm Bay, Fla.) would make a pair of three-point shots, Lopez and Cancel would both drive their way to the basket for a layup, along with a steal from junior guard/forward Max Rolnick (Vaughan, Ontario), and layups from sophomore forward/center Lawton Ackah-Yensu (Cape Coast, Ghana) and first year forward Daniel Villanueva (Seymour, Conn.). Unfortunately, as the final seconds ticked off the clock, Emmanuel would defeat Elms 89-62.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Goffe - 13 points, an assist, a rebound, and a steal.

• Ciaglo - 10 points, three assists, three steals, and two rebounds.

• Mayfield - six points, two assists, and a rebound.

• Cancel - six points, three rebounds, an assist, and a block.

• Green - six points.

• Sanchez - five points, four rebounds, and an assist.

• Lopez - five points, three rebounds, and two assists.

• Phifer - three points, two rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal.

• Sarlan - five rebounds, two points, and two steals.

• Bridgeman - two points, two rebounds, and an assist.

• Ackah-Yensu - two points.

• Villanueva - two points.

UP NEXT: The Elms College Men's Basketball team will travel to Weston, Mass. to play in a conference matchup at Regis College on Wednesday, February 12th at 5 pm.

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