Bridgeport, Conn. (December 29) -- At the
Bridgeport Holiday Classic, the Saint Anselm men's basketball team,
led by 33 points from senior co-captain Greg Vetrano
(Andover, Mass.), defeated Post University by a 107-103
margin in double overtime to improve to 6-4 overall on the season.
In the opening half, the two teams traded the lead back and
forth eight times and Saint Anselm led by as many as seven points
with 14:17 left in the period. The Eagles shot 45.2 percent from
the field though and hit six three-pointers to take a 37-34 lead
into the halftime break.
The second period began with an outburst by Post and with 17:15
remaining, the Eagles held their largest lead of the game at 48-38
after a three by Larry Grant. A 14-4 run though,
capped by a layup from John Mariano (Naugatuck,
Conn.), tied the game for Saint Anselm at 52-52 with 10:12
remaining. The Eagles quickly regained the lead though, pushed it
up to as many as seven, and still held a four-point edge with 31
seconds left in regulation. Trailing by three with nine seconds
left, Saint Anselm turned to junior co-captain Thomas
Baudinet (Watertown, Conn.), who knocked down the tying
three-pointer to send the game into the first overtime.
In the first overtime, the Hawks led by three midway through the
stanza before the Eagles took a one-point lead 1:22 left on a pair
of free throws by Trevon Hamlet. Pat
Luptowski (Keene, N.H.) hit the second of two free throws
with 55 seconds left though and the game headed into the second
extra period. Vetrano hit a three just 16 seconds into the second
overtime and the Hawks never looked back, leading by as many as
seven points and pulling out their second straight win over Post.
Vetrano led five Hawks in double figures with 33 points,
including 15-for-17 from the free throw line. Baudinet finished
with 23 points, along with 12 points from Luptowski, 11 points from
freshman Quinn Woodhouse (Gaylord, Mich.) and 10
points from Branimir Zeko (Mississsauga, Ontario).
Jon Lucky led all scorers for Post with 36 points,
while Hamlet added 24 points and Spencer Smith had
a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double. Nyheem
Sanders added 10 points in the loss.
Saint Anselm is now 6-4 overall, while Post drops to 3-7 on the
season. Saint Anselm returns to action on Wednesday evening,
playing Bridgeport in a 5 p.m. start at the Hubbell Gym.
