MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman Mike McCahey (Clarkstown, N.Y.) scored 18 points to lead five Hawks in double figures, but the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team dropped a 91-88 decision to the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the final minute Tuesday evening at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
The Hawks dip to 5-2 on the season, including 3-2 in Northeast-10 play, as they see their three-game win streak dissolve. The River Hawks, who were receiving votes in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Poll, improve to 6-1, 4-1 NE-10.
McCahey scored all 18 points in the second half on 7 of 9 shooting from the floor, 1 of 3 shooting from long range and 3 of 4 shooting at the stripe after going scoreless in the opening half and missing his first three shots, including a pair of 3-pointers. Sophomore Roy Mabrey (Belmar, N.J.) registered 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-best seven assists. All 15 points also came in the second half on 5 of 12 shooting from the field, including 2 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc, and 3 of 4 shooting at the line as he was also held without a point in the first half after missing his first three shots – all 3-pointers.
Junior John Nielsen (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) netted 12 points – all in the first half – on 4 of 7 shooting, including 4 of 6 from downtown. Classmate Dino Mallios (Winthrop, Mass.) and sophomore Chris Santo (Cherry Hill, N.J.) each registered 11 points. Mallios handed out six assists, while Santo tallied four boards and a pair of helpers.
In a game that featured 11 ties and 17 lead changes, including seven and 12, respectively, in the second half, the Hawks led by one when a Chad Holley 3-point attempt ricocheted in off the backboard to give UMass Lowell an 86-84 lead with 49 seconds left. After the Hawks turned it over, Holley added a pair at the line and the lead grew to four.
After McCahey dropped in a driving layup to cut it to 88-86 with 26 ticks left, Akeem Williams made one of two at the line to make it a three-point game just two seconds later. Mabrey missed a look at a 3 with eight seconds left, but McCahey grabbed the offensive rebound and was sent to the line where he made both to bring the Hawks within one at 89-88 with less than six seconds to play.
The Hawks nearly stole the ensuing inbound pass, but were then forced to foul Williams and send him to the line. He made both to make it 91-88 with 2.8 seconds remaining and Saint Anselm called timeout. After drawing up a play, Nielsen ran the baseline from left to right and hit Mabrey with a pass as he crossed in the same direction toward the right wing. Mabrey fired up a 3 as time expired, but his shot was just long and caught the back of the rim as UMass Lowell escaped with the victory.
The River Hawks outshot the Hawks, 52.4 percent (33-63) to 45.1 percent (32-71), including 55.6 percent (10-18) to 40 percent (10-25) from 3-point land. UMass Lowell held a slim 38-37 advantage on the boards, while Saint Anselm outscored the River Hawks in the paint, 44-40. The Hawks also held a 31-4 margin in bench scoring and turned the ball over 14 times, while forcing 19 UML turnovers.
After a layup from Mallios and a 3-pointer from senior James Morse (Arundel, Maine), the Hawks led 5-0 just 1:15 into the contest. The lead was four at 7-3 when a 9-0 run by UML – sparked by a Williams trey and capped by a Williams jumper – gave it a 12-7 advantage with 14:05 remaining in the opening half.
The Hawks responded with a Morse layup and back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore Andre King (Springfield, Mass.) to grab a 15-12 lead at the 12:23 mark. After the teams traded baskets, a Nielsen trey bumped the gap to six at 20-14 with 10:46 to play.
The lead was then seven at 24-17 with 7:51 on the clock when a 10-2 run – with five points from Williams – gave the River Hawks a 27-26 edge with 6:23 left. Three straight Mallios points put the Hawks back in the lead, but a James McDonnell layup and three straight points from Williams made it 32-29 in favor of the River Hawks with 4:29 to go.
After a pair at the line from junior Dominic Borelli (Westbrook, Maine), Holley knocked down a 3 and a jumper to give the River Hawks their largest lead of the half at 37-31 with 3:38 remaining. Nielsen responded with two straight 3s, however, and the game was tied at 37 with 2:46 to play.
Williams answered with a 3 of his own and the teams traded hoops one final time as UMass Lowell went into the locker room with just a three-point lead (42-39), despite Saint Anselm's two leading scorers combining for zero points.
The UML lead was still three when layups by McCahey and Morse put the Hawks up 49-48 2:19 into the second half. After the teams traded baskets, McCahey piled on a King jumper with a layup that made it a three-point game at the 14:29 mark.
The River Hawks had later cut it to two when a Santo layup and a Mabrey tip-in gave Saint Anselm a 62-56 lead with 11:48 to play. A 9-0 run from UMass Lowell – bookended by a pair of dunks – put it up three before Mabrey drilled a 3-pointer to knot the game at 65 midway through the stanza.
Antonio Bivins gave the River Hawks the lead back with a layup before a layup and a dunk from Santo, followed by a 3 from McCahey, gave Saint Anselm a 72-67 advantage with 7:33 to go. Williams responded with a 3 and Bivins followed with a tip-in of Williams' missed layup to tie the game at 72 at the 6:40 mark.
After a McCahey free throw, baskets by Bivins and Matt Welch put UMass Lowell up by three, but the Hawks hung in and put together a 7-0 spurt that gave them an 80-76 lead with 2:43 remaining. McCahey dropped in a layup before Mabrey knocked down a triple and Santo put in a layup off the glass.
Williams came up big again, however, sinking a 3-pointer as part of a personal run of seven straight points that trimmed the Hawks' lead to one. Williams then gave the River Hawks an 81-80 lead as he hit a pair at the line with 1:50 on the clock. After Williams answered a Mallios layup with a midrange jumper, Mabrey took an inbound lob from Mallios and laid it in to put Saint Anselm back in the lead at 84-83 with 1:03 left.
Holley hit his 3-pointer off the glass on the next trip down and the Hawks never led again.
Morse finished with nine points on 4 of 10 shooting, including 1 of 2 from deep, while King chipped in eight points on 3 of 5 shooting, including 2 of 3 from distance. Borelli posted four points and five boards.
Williams led all scorers with 31 points, while Bivins and Holley each added 22.
The Hawks return to action Thursday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. when they hit the road to take on Saint Michael's College. The next home game for the Hawks is Sunday, Dec. 30 at 1 p.m. when they play host to Bloomfield College 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).
