AMCATS Fly By Saints, Streak Now 14-Games

PAXTON, Mass.--  The Anna Maria College men's basketball team defeated Great Northeast Athletic Conference opponent Emmanuel College, 90-67, at the Fuller Activities Center on Tuesday night, as AMC senior Anthony Click (Springfield, MA) filled the stat sheet with 25 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block. With the win the AMCATS improve to 17-7 (15-2 GNAC) and extend their current win streak to 14-games. AMC ties the school record for consecutive victories (14) set twice in previous seasons (91'-92, 92-93). Emmanuel drops to 4-18 on the season and 4-11 in conference play. 

Click, the reigning GNAC Player of the Week, moved into third place on the AMCATS all-time scoring list with 25 points tonight his career total now sits at 1,677 points. He moved past Matthew Brennan (1677pts.) and is now only trailing Michael Cagle (1785) and the AMC all-time leading scorer John Patraitis (2434 pts.).

Also having big numbers for the AMCATS, senior Javier Bristol (Haverhill, MA) knocked down 17 points while collecting a game-high 9 rebounds and junior Joseph Barillo (Dania Beach, FL) also scored in double figures, notching 14 points in 30 minutes of play.

The Saints were paced by Xavier Everson who led all scorers with 30 points and 4 boards while senior Connor Morgan chipped in with 13 points, 4 rebounds and two steals.

With the game tied 10-10 at the 14:39 mark, Emmanuel received back-to-back baskets by Morgan and Everson to grab an early 4-point advantage. The AMCATS battled back, and with a Barillo basket from beyond the arc to finish off an AMC 16-7 run the deficit had turned into a 28-21 lead with 7 minutes left until intermission. Anna Maria would take a 13-point advantage 46-33 into the locker room.

Click led a first half scores with 14 points, while teammate Barillo finished the first stanza with 13 points. Anna Maria shot a blistering 66.7% from the field, converting 18-of-27 from the floor, while Emmanuel shot 44.4% from the field in the first half.

After Anna Maria built a 56-40 lead just four minutes into the second half, the Saints clawed their way back into the game going on a 9-2 run, cutting the AMC lead to 58-49. The AMCATS responded strong, going on a 15-4 run, with baskets from sophomore Hugh Daye (Worcester, MA), senior Jose Pena (Lawrence, MA) and an exclamation point dunk from freshman Tyler Delorey (Worcester, MA), to build a 73-53 lead. The Saints would never recover as Anna Maria pulled away for a 90-67 victory.

Anna Maria will close out the regular season on Saturday afternoon when they host Mt. Ida College for a 3:00 pm tilt. There will be a pre-game ceremony to honor the senior class. Emmanuel heads to Lasell College on Thursday night for a 7:30 pm GNAC match-up.