BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Junior Mike McCahey (Clarkstown, N.Y.) scored his 1,000th career point, while senior Chris Santo (Cherry Hill, N.J.) pumped in a game-high 28 points to lead the 21st-ranked Saint Anselm College men's basketball team to a 96-93 victory against Dowling College on Sunday afternoon at Hubbell Gymnasium to close out their appearance at the Bridgeport Men's Basketball Classic.
The Hawks improve to 2-0 for the third time in five years after a 90-75 win against Bridgeport on Saturday, while the Golden Lions fall to 0-2.
McCahey, who became the 46th member of the program to reach the 1,000-point plateau and the first since senior Roy Mabrey (Belmar, N.J.) last season, tallied 13 points (5-16 FG, 1-5 3-FG, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Santo had another great shooting night as he was 11-for-15 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe, while adding seven boards and a pair of steals. Santo is now shooting a scorching 83.3 percent (20-24) through the first two games of the season.
Junior Ryan Hartung (Haverhill, Mass.) netted a career-high 17 points (6-10 FG, 2-5 3-FG, 3-3 FT) and collected four rebounds, while sophomore Harrison Taggart (Cuttingsville, Vt.) registered 14 points (5-11 FG; 4-7 3-FG), seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. Freshman Taylor Fortin (Tolland, Conn.) was the fifth Hawk in double figures and posted 11 points (4-5 FG; 2-3 3-FG, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds and six assists.
Darien Davis paced Dowling with 26 points.
The game featured six lead changes and four ties over the first seven minutes before Dowling slowly opened up a 23-17 lead midway through the opening half. A three-point play by Hartung halted the short run and triggered a 17-4 blitz that gave the Hawks a 34-27 lead with 6:31 to go. Santo scored eight points during the stretch.
The Golden Lions climbed within three under two minutes later and eventually trailed by four when the Hawks reeled off 11 straight points, including four each from Santo and McCahey and three from Taggart, to grab their largest lead of the day at 51-36 with 1:45 on the clock. Just before the run, McCahey knocked down a 3-pointer that catapulted him to the 1,000-point plateau with 4:29 on the clock. Saint Anselm would bring a 53-41 advantage into the break, with Santo scoring 16 points.
Dowling opened up the second half on an 8-2 run that included four points from Davis and sliced its deficit to 55-49 just 2:11 in. A 3-pointer from Fortin and a layup from Santo stopped the run and pushed the Saint Anselm lead back to 11.
The margin was 10 midway through the half when a 6-0 spurt trimmed Dowling's deficit to just four at 79-75 with 8:37 remaining. With the gap still four just over six minutes later, a Davis jumper pulled the Golden Lions within two at 87-85 with 2:13 to play. Dowling still trailed by two and had the ball, but Davis turned it over as he drove to the hoop and Santo would sink a pair of free throws with 16 seconds left to stretch the lead to 94-90.
Ryan Hickey drilled a 3 from the left wing with two seconds left two pull within one, but Santo again stepped to the line and knocked down a pair to make it 96-93. Dowling had one last chance at a last-second heave to tie it, but Santo knocked the ball away on the inbound and the Hawks sealed the victory.
Mabrey chipped in nine points (3-11 FG, 1-4 3-FG, 2-2 FT), six assists and two rebounds, while fellow senior Mark Schulze (Townsend, Mass.) added six rebounds and four assists.
Both teams shot 50 percent from the field, with Dowling holding a 57.9 percent (11-10) to 38.5 percent (10-26) edge from 3-point land. Saint Anselm did much better at the line, 87.5 percent (14-16) to 66.7 percent (6-9) and held a 42-36 advantage on the glass. Despite turning it over more times (20-17), the Hawks owned a 21-14 margin in points off turnovers.
The Hawks return to action Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. when they play host to crosstown 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 and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
