WMUR HIGHLIGHTS
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomore Mike McCahey (Clarkstown, N.Y.) led four scorers in double figures with a game-high 22 points as the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team used a furious second-half rally to erase a 17-point halftime deficit and sink crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire University, 88-65, Wednesday night at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
The Hawks improve to 2-2 on the season, including 1-1 in Northeast-10 play, while the Penmen drop to 2-2, 0-2 NE-10.
McCahey, who scored 17 in the second half, shot 7 of 13 from the floor, including 2 of 4 from long range, and was a perfect 6 of 6 at the stripe, while collecting five rebounds. Junior Chris Santo (Cherry Hill, N.J.) added a season-high 19 points (8-11 FG; 1-1 3-FG; 2-2 FT), including 14 in the second stanza, and pulled down eight boards. Senior John Nielsen (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) scored all 16 of his points on perfect 6 of 6 shooting in the second half after missing all four of his shots, including one from behind the arc, in the first half. Junior Roy Mabrey (Belmar, N.J.) was also in double figures with 12 points (4-10 FG; 2-5 3-FG; 2-3 FT) to go along with three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.
Elijah Bonsignore paced the Penmen with 15 points.
After shooting a dismal 32.1 percent (9-28) from the field in the first half and allowing Southern New Hampshire to shoot 45.7 percent (16-35), the Hawks went into the locker room trailing 40-23. SNHU knocked down 5 of 11 3-pointers, while Saint Anselm went 0-for-5 from deep. The Penmen had only turned it over twice and forced eight Saint Anselm mistakes for a 6-0 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Hawks flipped the script to start the second half, however, as back-to-back layups from senior Dino Mallios (Winthrop, Mass.) immediately cut the deficit to 13. Even after baskets by Mike Stys and Bonsignore pushed the lead back to 17, Saint Anselm did not quit and answered with a 12-4 run over a span of 3:27 that was made up of three straight Nielsen trifectas and a McCahey triple to slash the gap to nine at 48-39 with 14:44 remaining.
Following a pair of Stys free throws that temporarily plugged the leak, Saint Anselm continued torching the nets with a 20-2 eruption that left everyone in attendance double- and triple-checking the scoreboard to make sure what they were witnessing was for real. A McCahey layup at 11:43 completed the comeback and gave the Hawks the lead for good at 53-52, while Mabrey's second 3-pointer of the run capped it to open up a 59-52 lead midway through the stanza.
Bonsignore quieted things with a layup, but a 7-0 spurt that included five points from McCahey bumped the lead to 12 at 66-54 with 8:38 left. A Stys 3-pointer knocked the lead down to nine, but Saint Anselm put the game away as they gashed the Penmen with a 15-1 run – highlighted by eight points from Santo – that made it 81-58 with less than three minutes to go.
A 3 from freshman Isaiah Nelsen (North Andover, Mass.) added the icing as it gave the Hawks their largest lead of the night at 87-63 with 1:27 on the clock.
While the 65 points and 72.7 percent (24-33) shooting, including 75 percent (9-12) from downtown, in the second half stands out, it was the Saint Anselm defense after halftime that was maybe most impressive. The Hawks limited the Penmen to 25 points on 36.4 percent (8-22) shooting, including 16.7 percent (1-6) from 3-point land, in the second half and also forced 14 turnovers. Saint Anselm only gave the ball away three times in the second stanza for a 22-4 margin in points off turnovers after the break.
Mallios tallied eight points (4-11 FG), eight assists and five rebounds.
The first five-plus minutes of the contest was back and forth with eight lead changes before a Stys layup set off a 15-2 Southern New Hampshire run that featured balanced scoring from six different players, including a trio of 3-pointers that helped crank the lead to 26-16 with 9:10 to go.
A Mallios layup and a pair of McCahey free throws were able to stop the bleeding, but only for a little over a minute as the Penmen closed the half with another balanced 14-3 barrage that gave them a 40-23 advantage at the break.
For the game, Saint Anselm outshot Southern New Hampshire, 54.1 percent (33-61) to 42.1 percent (24-57), including 52.9 percent (9-17) to 35.3 percent (6-17) from long range. SNHU held a small edge on the glass (34-32), but the Hawks won the paint (36-28) and the turnover battle (11/16) for a 22-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. when they take on Assumption College at Laska Gymnasium. The next home game for the Hawks is Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m. when they play host to Merrimack College 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 and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
