One-armed player for Northwestern St scores first points

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NATCHITOCHES, La. (AP) — As soon as Hansel Emmanuel began to weave in from the right wing, his Northwestern State teammates started to stand up. When he dribbled between two defenders for a stylish layup, most everyone in the gym joined them.

The freshman with one arm was finally on the board.

And a minute later Saturday night, the 6-foot-6 guard provided the most defining moment of the game — a thunderous dunk in a 91-73 win over Louisiana-Monroe.

“I had to keep going after the layup — that was my first bucket,” Emmanuel said in a quote posted on the Southland Conference school’s website. “I know my family was proud. I had to keep working. You can’t give up.”

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The 19-year-old Emmanuel, who lost his left arm just below his shoulder in a childhood accident, wound up scoring five points. He was 2 of 3 from the field and 1 of 5 from the foul line, along with two rebounds in eight minutes.

Emmanuel had played in four previous games for the Demons this season, shooting 0 for 2 with one rebound.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Emmanuel was 6 when a pile of cinderblocks fell on him. The damage was so severe, doctors had to amputate his arm.

Emmanuel later moved to Florida and became a big scorer in high school. He drew interest from Memphis, among other colleges, and became an internet sensation last year for his highlight videos posted to social media.

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The Demons (8-2) were well on the way to their seventh straight win when Emmanuel started to drive toward his first points. He smoothly cut to the hoop for his layup with 2 1/2 minutes left.

With slightly over a minute to go, Emmanuel was fouled and made the first free throw. He missed the second shot, but corralled a loose ball just beyond the foul line, took one dribble and threw down a high-flying dunk.

The slam made it 89-70 and brought Emmanuel’s teammates and the crowd of 1,627 to their feet again for an even longer cheer.

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