Manchester, N.H. (November 30) -- Led by a 17-point effort by junior guard Greg Vetrano (Andover, Mass.), the Saint Anselm men's basketball team held off American International by a 74-64 final on Sunday afternoon in Northeast-10 play.

Leading by just 18-15 with 7:50 left in the first half, the Hawks went on an 18-3 run over the next 4:58 to blow the game open at 36-18. The scoring run was capped by a layup by junior Branimir Zeko (Mississauga, Ontario). After the Yellow Jackets cut the lead down to 14 in the final minutes, two quick baskets by Saint Anselm sent the Hawks into the halftime break leading by a 41-22 margin.

The Yellow Jackets came out firing in the second half with a quick 7-0 surge to cut the lead down to 12 at 41-29 just 1:36 into the period. After the Hawks briefly pushed the advantage back to 15, AIC kept up the pressure and after a layup by Aikeem Vanderhorst, had cut the lead all the way down to four points at 54-50 with nine minutes remaining.

The two teams traded baskets for a time and AIC got to within three on another Vanderhorst basket with 2:13 remaining at 66-63. Eight free throws down the stretch helped the Hawks hold off the Yellow Jackets for their fifth win in six tries this season. In the second half, the Hawks knocked down 14 free throws to help wrap up the victory.

The Hawks were led by Vetrano with 17 points and six rebounds to go with three assists. Sophomore Thomas Baudinet (Watertown, Conn.) had 16 points in 34 minutes, while sophomore Pat Luptowski (Keene, N.H.) finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. It was a family affair for Luptowski as he was playing against his father, Art, who is the head coach at American International.

Vanderhorst paced four Yellow Jackets in double figures with 21 points and seven rebounds. Isiah Wallace was also solid for the visitors with 17 points and seven boards while playing all 40 minutes.

With the win, Saint Anselm is now 5-1 on the season and 3-1 in Northeast-10 play, while AIC falls to 4-2 overall and 2-2 in the league. Saint Anselm returns to action on Wednesday night as the Hawks play host to UMass Lowell beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Stoutenburgh Gym.