EASTON, Mass. – Freshman Mike McCahey (Clarkstown, N.Y.) posted 19 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Chris Santo (Cherry Hill, N.J.) recorded 16 points and nine boards, but the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 81-73 overtime decision to 22nd-ranked Stonehill College on Wednesday evening in both teams' Northeast-10 opener at Merkert Gymnasium.
The Hawks dip to 2-1 on the season, including 0-1 in the Northeast-10, while the Skyhawks – the defending Northeast-10 and East Regional Champions – improve to 2-0, 1-0 NE-10.
McCahey shot 6 of 18 from the floor and was a perfect 6 of 6 at the line, while Santo was 6-for-11 from the field and 4 of 7 at the stripe in 27 minutes off the bench.
Saint Anselm trailed 46-43 with 9:41 left in the second half when sophomore Roy Mabrey (Belmar, N.J.) drained a 3-pointer to knot the game. After Santo made one of two at the line on the next trip down, junior Dino Mallios (Winthrop, Mass.) dropped in a layup that gave the Hawks a three-point lead. Santo then converted a three-point play and the visitors held a 52-46 advantage with just under eight minutes remaining.
Stonehill responded with a 7-0 run that gave it a 53-52 edge at the 6:41 mark. Another old-fashioned three-point play from Mallios and a layup from Mabrey put the Hawks in front 57-53 with a tick under six minutes to go. After the Skyhawks had whittled the deficit to three, a Jack Cole layup and a Raheem May-Thompson basket put them back in front at 59-58 with 2:51 remaining.
McCahey sank a pair at the line and then Santo finished a three-point play as Saint Anselm went up 63-59 with 2:05 to play. Adam Fazzini knocked down a 3 just 33 seconds later and the Skyhawks were within a point.
With under a minute to go and the shot clock winding down, Mallios drove hard to the basket and put a shot off the glass that barely rimmed out. Santo pulled down the rebound underneath the hoop and attempted to put it back as he was facing away from the basket, but his try came up short and he committed a foul going for the loose ball.
Cole made one of two to tie the game at 63-all. After the Saint Anselm miss, Stonehill had the final shot, but Santo came up with a huge block with two seconds left and the teams headed to overtime.
Junior John Nielsen (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) began the extra session with a 3-pointer from the top of the key that made it 66-63 just 34 seconds in. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Sam Markle and Fazzini, however, put Stonehill in front at 69-66 with 3:31 left.
A Brian Hamor layup, followed by another Cole trey, gave Stonehill a commanding 74-66 lead with 2:05 on the clock. After a pair of free throws on each end, two more free throws from Markle made it a 10-point game at 78-68 with 40 seconds to go. Mallios knocked down a triple to cut it to seven five seconds later, but Stonehill would convert three of its four chances at the line the rest of the way.
Mabrey, who scored Saint Anselm's first seven points of the game, finished with 13 points on 5 of 15 shooting, including 2 of 6 from deep, to go along with five rebounds and a pair of steals in 40-plus minutes. Mallios added 11 points and four assists, while Nielsen chipped in seven points on 2 of 4 shooting from long range and 1 of 2 shooting at the line.
After Mabrey started things with a jumper 35 seconds in, the lead would change hands five times over the next four-plus minutes with Stonehill seizing a 10-7 lead after a Carter Smith layup with 13:05 to play in the opening half.
Freshman Victor Joshua (New Haven, Conn.) knocked down a jumper to pull the Hawks within a pair midway through the half, but Stonehill answered with a 3-pointer from Pierce Cumpstone and a layup from Hamor that made it 18-11 with 8:09 to go.
McCahey stopped the mini run with a jumper and then added a 3-pointer to trim the Saint Anselm deficit to just a pair with 6:30 on the clock. After Cole sank one of two at the line, Nielsen drilled a 3 from the left wing that knotted the game at 19 with 6:00 remaining.
Saint Anselm forced a Stonehill turnover and then received a three-point play from Mallios that put the Hawks on top by three at the 5:23 mark. Smith answered with a trey that tied the game at 22-all with 3:47 left.
Three straight points from Hamor put the Skyhawks in the lead and after the teams traded baskets, a Markle layup sent Stonehill into the locker room with a 29-24 lead.
The Hawks opened the second half with four straight points from McCahey to trim the Stonehill lead to just one 53 seconds in. A Hamor 3-pointer pushed the lead to four for the Skyhawks, but a three-point play from senior James Morse (Arundel, Maine) cut it back to one at 32-21 at the 15:50 mark.
Trailing 40-37 with 13:09 to go, the Hawks received layups from McCahey and Santo to take a 41-40 lead with 12:40 remaining. Layups by Fazzini and May-Thompson would push the lead back to three for Stonehill at 44-41 with 11:52 left. The teams would then trade baskets before Mabrey's trifecta knotted the game at 46.
Morse added three points and five boards. Junior Dominic Borelli (Westbrook, Maine) finished with seven rebounds.
Stonehill outshot Saint Anselm, 44.4 percent (28-63) to 35.6 percent (26-73), including 39.3 percent (11-28) to 27.3 percent (6-22) from distance. The Skyhawks also held a slim 46-44 edge on the glass, while the Hawks outscored them in the paint, 32-30. Saint Anselm turned the ball over 13 times, while forcing 17 Stonehill turnovers.
Hamor led five Skyhawks in double figures with 17 points.
The Hawks return to action Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. when they play host to cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire University at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/STAHawks) and following us on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/STAHawks).
