REGIS TOPS SAINTS, ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP

BOSTON, Mass. – Regis College opened up the season with a 76-59 win over Emmanuel College in the first round of the Saints Greater Boston Classic on Saturday night in the Jean Yawkey Center. The Pride shot 51% (26-51) from the floor and were led by a balanced offensive attack with four players scoring in double-figures in the win.

Regis wasted no time, jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead, after scoring on its first two possessions. Junior guard Chris Keaton (Beverly, Mass.) buried a three from the baseline to push the Pride out to an 18-11 advantage eight minutes into the opening half. Keaton dropped another trey on the Pride's ensuing possession to give Regis its first double-figure lead of the night at 21-11.

Freshman guard Josh Bushman (Hurst, Texas) knocked down a mid-range jumper and Jordan DeMario (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) drained a three-ball on the break to bring the Saints to within seven, trailing 25-18 with 8:22 to go in the half.

The Pride stretched their lead back into double-figures, before a pair of jumpers from Emmanuel center Kyle Davis (Haverhill, Mass.) made it a 37-27 game with 1:36 remaining in the half. Trailing by 11 points with 16 seconds to go, the Saints called for a 30-second timeout to set up one final play before the break. Regis forced an EC turnover down low and junior guard Jeff Tagger Jr. (Brockton, Mass.) buried a three from the left wing at the buzzer to send the contest into halftime with visitors up, 41-27.

Tagger led all scorers at the break with his 10 points, coming off of 4-of-5 shooting. Keaton and Sam Jean-Gilles (Melrose, Mass.) hit for nine points apiece in the first half, while Hector Heredia (Lawrence, Mass.) dished out six assists in his 16 minutes of first-half action. Regis took advantage of 57.7% (15-26) field goal shooting in the opening half and drained 5-11 from long range (45.5%).

Junior captain John Clay (Westport, Mass.) led the Saints with seven points, while Davis and DeMario hit for six points each.

Regis came out of the break firing and quickly pushed their spread up over twenty points, taking advantage of five quick points from Heredia to bring the margin to 54-33 with 13 minutes left to play.

The Pride held onto their twenty-point spread through the next seven minutes. Following a pair of free throws from Bushman, the Saints trailed 67-45 with 6:13 to go. Both teams went scoreless over the next two minutes, before Clay dropped a pair from the line to bring the score to 67-47 with 4:17 to play.

The Saints managed a 6-2 run over the next 66 seconds to cut their deficit to 16, after a lay-up by Julian Diggs (Upper Marlboro, Md.). Tagger would convert an old-fashioned three-point play for Regis with just under two minutes left to set the score at 75-55. Heredia knocked down one final free throw for Regis and Davis hit a put-back in the paint for the Saints to bring the final score to 76-59.

Tagger's 15 points (6-9 FG) and seven rebounds led the way for the Pride. Jean-Gilles finished with 11 points, hitting 7-of-10 from the line, while Heredia and Jordan Monts (Springfield, Mass.) netted 10 points apiece. Heredia also dished out a game-high eight assists, while Ethan Peana (Staten Island, N.Y.) contributed nine points and eight boards in the win for Regis.

Emmanuel was paced by Clay's 18 points, coming off of 7-13 shooting. Davis, DeMario and Aidan Hadley (Owls Head, Maine) finished with eight points each in the effort for the Saints.

Regis will take on the winner of the Wentworth/Emerson match-up, tipping off at 7:30 PM tonight, in the Saints Greater Boston Classic Championship on Sunday night at 7:30 PM. Emmanuel will take on the loser of that contest in the tournament's consolation game at 5:30 PM.