COLCHESTER, Vt. – Senior Chris Santo (Cherry Hill, N.J.) scored 23 points to lead the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team to Wednesday evening's 90-81 victory against Saint Michael's College at the Ross Sports Center.
The Hawks win their third straight to improve to 5-1 on the season, including 3-1 in Northeast-10 play. The Purple Knights drop to 3-2, 2-1 NE-10.
Santo was an efficient 11-for-15 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from beyond the arc, while pulling down nine rebounds and handing out a pair of assists. Junior Victor Joshua (New Haven, Conn.) submitted his best game of the season with 16 points (5-9 FG, 2-5 3-FG, 4-4 FT) and four assists. Senior Roy Mabrey (Belmar, N.J.) netted 14 points (6-14 FG, 2-5 3-FG) to go along with five rebounds and three assists, while junior Mike McCahey (Clarkstown, N.Y.) posted 12 points (4-11 FG, 2-5 3-FG, 2-2 FT), nine boards and two assists. Freshman Taylor Fortin (Tolland, Conn.) was also in double figures with 10 points (2-3 FG, 2-3 3-FG, 4-6 FT) and five helpers.
James Cambronne led all scorers with 25 points and 10 rebounds for Saint Michael's.
In a battle of the Northeast Division's top two preseason favorites, the Hawks, who were selected to win the division by a vote of the league's coaches, used a 15-2 flurry – capped by 3-pointers from sophomore Harrison Taggart (Cuttingsville, Vt.), Fortin and Santo – to open up a 15-5 advantage 5:22 into the contest.
Saint Michael's responded with a balanced 13-2 counter-run that featured five different scorers and gave the Purple Knights a one-point lead at 18-17 midway through the opening stanza. After the teams traded baskets, five points from Joshua fueled a 7-0 stretch that put the Hawks back into the lead at 26-20 with 7:20 to play.
With the lead down to four, layups from Santo and senior Mark Schulze (Townsend, Mass.) opened a half-high eight-point lead at 34-26 with 4:33 left. The margin was seven over two minutes later when a Cambronne trey triggered a 9-3 run that closed the half and trimmed the Saint Michael's deficit to just one at 42-41.
Santo would open the second half with a basket that made it a three-point game, but another Cambronne triple knotted the game at 46-all 3:38 in. Four straight points from Joshua then set off a 9-2 run that opened a 55-48 advantage with 13:46 remaining.
The gap was five just over a minute later when a Mabrey 3-pointer kicked off a 15-4 blitz that included seven points from Mabrey and gave the Hawks their largest lead of the night at 72-56 with 8:44 to go.
Saint Michael's was not done, however, as it responded with a 15-4 run of its own – with eight points from Mike Holton Jr. and seven from Cambronne – to slash the deficit to 76-71 with 3:48 on the clock.
McCahey answered by drilling a big 3 that started an 8-1 stretch, which sealed the win by making it 84-72 with 1:15 to play. A Cambronne 3 closed the scoring to bring the final margin to nine.
Schulze chipped in seven points (2-3 FG, 1-2 3-FG, 2-2 FT) and two rebounds, while Taggart tallied six points (2-6 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 2-3 FT), five rebounds and four blocks.
Holton added 16 for Saint Michael's.
The Hawks outshot the Purple Knights, 50.8 percent (32-63) to 42.5 percent (31-73), including a season-high 45.8 percent (11-24) to 34.6 percent (9-26) from long range. Saint Anselm also outshot Saint Michael's from the stripe, 75 percent to 71.4 percent, and sank more free throws (15) than the Purple Knights attempted (14). Saint Anselm won the glass (41-37), while Saint Michael's controlled the paint (40-26). The Hawks featured a better assist-to-turnover ratio (18/9-10/7), but the Purple Knights held an 11-4 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3:30 p.m. when they play host to Franklin Pierce 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.
