Manchester, N.H. (December 28) -- On Friday night at Stoutenburgh Gym, the Saint Anselm men's basketball team dropped a 64-60 final to visiting Mercy College in non-conference action to snap the Hawks' two-game winning streak.

In the first half, the Hawks jumped out to a quick 15-9 lead, capped off by a three-point play from senior guard Jeff Dickson (Bedford, N.H.). The Mavericks battled back though and with a 7-0 run, took the 16-15 lead on a layup from Keiron Guy (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Mercy pushed the lead to four points at 21-17 after one of three first-half trifectas from Chanze Wellington (Spring Valley, N.Y.) before the Hawks battled back to tie the game at 23-23. The two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes before Saint Anselm closed the half on a 6-0 run to take a 35-29 lead into the break. The Hawks shot 58.3 percent from the field for the half and were led by 10 points from sophomore forward Giovanni Carenza (East Hanover, N.J.). Wellington led the Mavericks with nine points, all coming from behind the three-point arc. Mercy controlled the boards throughout the half, owning an 18-13 edge on the boards and coming down with 10 offensive rebounds.

To start the second, the Mavericks came out firing and pushed the lead all the way to nine points at 49-40 with 13:08 remaining in the game after a layup from Michael Marin (Flushing, N.Y.). The Hawks battled back though and tied the game on a number of occasions, including at 54-54 with just under eight minutes left on a fast-break three-pointer from Junior Mitchell (Brooklyn, N.Y.). The Mavericks eventually surged ahead and took a 62-60 lead in the final minute. The visitors had a chance to seal the game with a pair of free throws by Julio Torres (Harlingen, Texas) with just over 20 seconds left, but couldn't knock them down and the Hawks pulled down the rebound and called timeout with 13.5 seconds remaining. Coming out of the timeout, the Hawks gave the ball to Chris Vetrano (Andover, Mass.), who missed a contested runner in the lane and the Mavericks pulled down the rebound. The Mavericks sealed the game on a pair of free throws by Vince Jordan (Spring Valley, N.Y.) as he ended the game with seven points.

Mitchell led the Hawks with 14 points and was joined in double figures by Carenza with 10 points. Wellington and Marin led Mercy with 17 points apiece, while Guy posted a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Mavericks held the Hawks to 27.8 percent shooting in the second half, while shooting 48.1 percent themselves in the period.

Saint Anselm drops to 5-5 overall, while Mercy improves to 3-8 overall. The Hawks are back in action on January 2nd when the team travels to Stonehill for a 7:30 p.m. start in Easton, Mass. The Mavericks will continue their trip through New Hampshire on Sunday afternoon as they take on Southern New Hampshire at 1 p.m. at SNHU Fieldhouse.