MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomore Roy Mabrey (Belmar, N.J.) scored a game-high 22 points and classmate Chris Santo (Cherry Hill, N.J.) added a career-high 18 as the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team posted an 89-67 victory against cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday evening at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
The Hawks improve to 3-1 on the season, including 1-1 in Northeast-10 play, while the Penmen tarnish their perfect record and fall to 3-1, 1-1 NE-10.
Mabrey shot 6 of 9 from the floor, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range, and a perfect 7-for-7 at the line, to go along with four rebounds in 32 minutes. In 26 minutes off the bench, Santos was 8 of 14 from the field, while recording four rebounds and a pair of steals. Junior point guard Dino Mallios (Winthrop, Mass.) put together a 14-point, seven-assist, six-rebound, four-steal performance. Mallios was 6-for-10 shooting, including 1 of 1 from long range, in 29 minutes.
Saint Anselm led 8-4 less than four minutes into the contest when Southern New Hampshire used a 7-1 run – capped by an Elijah Bonsignore 3-pointer – to take an 11-9 lead with 13:57 remaining in the opening half. Junior John Nielsen (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) answered with a 3 of his own to put the Hawks back in front, but a Bonsignore layup at the 12:02 mark gave the Penmen a 13-12 edge.
The Hawks received a three-point play from freshman Victor Joshua (New Haven, Conn.) and never trailed again. A Rodney Sanders layup on Southern New Hampshire's ensuing possession knotted the game at 15 midway through the half, but another Nielsen trey gave the Hawks the lead for good at 18-15 with 9:35 to play in the first half. The trifecta sparked a 7-0 run that included baskets from junior Dominic Borelli (Westbrook, Maine) and Santo and gave the Hawks a 22-15 advantage at the 7:56 mark.
Four straight Penmen points whittled the deficit to three, but layups from Mabrey and Santo pushed the Saint Anselm lead back to seven with just over five minutes to play before the break. Following a pair of C.J. Marriro free throws, Mabrey knocked down a 3 that jump-started a 7-0 spurt that made it 33-21 with 1:56 remaining.
B.J. Cardarelli stopped the bleeding with a layup, but Mabrey answered by hitting a trio of free throws after being fouled while attempting a 3-pointer. A pair at the line from Santo stretched the Saint Anselm lead to 15 with just under a minute to go before Marriro answered with a pair of his own to trim the Hawks' lead to 38-25 at halftime.
Mabrey and Nielsen each had eight at the half.
Saint Anselm scored the first six points of the second half and expanded its lead to 19 right out of the gate before consecutive 3s from Cardarelli and Mike Stys trimmed it to 13 at 44-31 less than two minutes in.
The deficit was 14 when jumpers by Bonsignore and Sanders made it a 10-point game at 48-38 with 15:19 remaining. A Mabrey 3-pointer would nudge the gap back to 13, but a Cardarelli free throw and another Stys trey brought the Penmen within 51-42 at the 13:58 mark.
Mabrey answered the bell again, however, drilling a 3 from the right corner as he was knocked to the ground. The reigning Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year responded by knocking down his free throw to complete the four-point play that made it a 13-point game again.
SNHU would not go away, though, as Sanders nailed a 3 and then hit a jumper to trim the deficit to 55-47 with 12:22 to go. Layups from Santo and Mallios gave the Hawks some room to breathe as they went up 12 with 10:48 on the clock.
It was a 10-point game at 68-58 with 8:19 left when Mabrey received an inbound feed from Mallios and hit a short jumper in the paint as he was fouled to begin a 11-1 run for the Hawks. Mabrey converted the three-point play at the line to widen the gap to 13. Mallios then made a driving layup with 7:22 to play and the Hawks led by 15.
After Sanders made one of two at the line, freshman Mike McCahey (Clarkstown, N.Y.) sunk a pair at the stripe and Mabrey hit a jumper to bring the score to 77-59 at the 6:13 mark. Free throws from Joshua and Mallios would cap the run and bring the margin to an even 20 with 5:20 to go.
With the lead still at 20, a Santo fast-break layup after steal at midcourt, followed by a 3 from sophomore Andre King (Springfield, Mass.), gave the Hawks their largest lead of the night at 86-61 with 2:23 remaining. SNHU would respond with six straight points before King put an exclamation point on the victory with a 3 that made it 89-67 with 44 seconds left.
Nielsen finished with eight points, while Borelli recorded eight points and five boards. King scored six points and handed out three assists, including a dazzling no-look, over-the-shoulder feed down low to Santo, who finished the play by laying the ball in to give the Hawks a 26-19 lead with 5:03 left in the first half. Joshua chipped in four points and four rebounds, while McCahey scored four points, pulled down nine boards and made a pair of steals.
The Hawks outshot the Penmen, 46.2 percent (30-65) to 36.2 percent (25-69), including 42.1 percent (8-19) to 31.6 percent (6-19) from beyond the arc. Saint Anselm also held a 38-26 advantage in the paint and won the battle of the benches, 36-8. The Hawks also turned the ball over 12 times, while forcing 16 SNHU turnovers. Rebounds were even at 40 apiece.
Sanders and Stys each netted 16 for the Penmen.
The Hawks return to action Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. when they travel to take on Merrimack College. The next home game for the Hawks is Saturday, Dec. 1 at 3:30 p.m. when they play host to in-state rival Franklin Pierce University at Stoutenburgh. 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).
