Springfield, Mass. (January 30) -- A 15-2 run
to start the second half quickly pushed a three-point halftime lead
into double digits as Saint Anselm pulled away for a 68-51 victory
over American International at Butova Gymnasium on Saturday
afternoon.
After the lead went back and forth for the first 11 minutes, the
Hawks regained the lead at 15-14 on a jumper from Greg
Vetrano (Andover, Mass.). A three from the top of the key
by Hakeem Williams (Spring Valley, N.Y.) made it a
four-point game with 8:25 left in the half before the Yellow
Jackets tied the game for the final time at 5:21. Just 13 seconds
later, senior Branimir Zeko (Mississauga, Ontario)
scored on a layup to give the Hawks the lead for the good and the
visitors pushed the edge up to five before taking a 29-26 lead into
the halftime break.
Saint Anselm blew things open with the 15-2 run to start
the second half, building to a comfortable 44-28 advantage. After
the Yellow Jackets cut the lead down to single digits with 7:10
left, three-pointers from Vetrano, Thomas Baudinet
(Watertown, Conn.) and Pat Luptowski (Keene,
N.H.) helped seal the win for the Hawks. The win marked
the 450th career victory for Saint Anselm head coach Keith
Dickson, who is in his 24th season on the Hilltop.
As a team, the Hawks shot 52.8 percent from the field and forced
23 AIC turnovers. Leading the scoring was sophomore forward
Jack Keough (Owego, N.Y.), who ended with 16
points and keyed the early second-half run. Vetrano added 12 points
and five assists, while Luptowski added 10 points, five assists,
five rebounds and two three-pointers.
Aikeem Vanderhorst led the Yellow Jackets with
16 points, along with 14 points from Isiah Wallace
and 11 points from Ricky Hudson.
With the win, Saint Anselm has won six of its last seven games
and sits at 13-7 overall and 9-6 in the Northeast-10. American
International drops to 9-11 overall and 7-8 in league play. The
Hawks are back in action on Wednesday night, hosting crosstown
rival Southern New Hampshire for a 7:30 p.m. start at Stoutenburgh
Gym.
