MANCHESTER, N.H. – Senior Dino Mallios (Winthrop, Mass.) poured in a career- and game-high 24 points to lead four scorers in double figures, including three with 20 or more, as the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team defeated Franklin Pierce University, 90-85, at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon in another close battle between the two in-state rivals.
The Hawks, who snap a three-game skid against the Ravens, win for the ninth time in 11 games, including their fifth straight, to improve to 16-6 on the season and 14-4 in Northeast-10 play. The win moves Saint Anselm into sole possession of first place in the Northeast-10 Northeast Division and allows it to control its own destiny for the top spot with three regular-season contests remaining. The Ravens dip to 18-5, 13-5 NE-10.
Mallios, who went 9-for-16 from the floor, including 3-for-4 from behind the arc, and 3-for-4 at the line, registered his second double-double of the season and sixth of his career as he added 11 assists, three rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Mike McCahey (Clarkstown, N.Y.) scored 20 points (8-17 FG; 4-5 FT) and pulled down 20 rebounds to become the first Saint Anselm hooper to grab 20 or more boards in a game since John O'Connell collected 20 against Assumption College on Jan. 7, 1995. Junior Roy Mabrey (Belmar, N.J.) put together his second straight 20-point performance with 21 points (8-13 FG; 4-5 3-FG; 1-4 FT) to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Junior Chris Santo (Cherry Hill, N.J.) was in double figures for the 20th straight game as he netted 15 points (6-11 FG; 1-1 3-FG; 2-2 FT).
Ellis Cooper paced Franklin Pierce with 20 points, while Ryen Vilmont supported his effort with 19.
Saint Anselm trailed 5-2 early on when Mallios went off – going 4-for-4 from the field for 11 points during a 14-0 barrage – to give the Hawks a 16-5 lead with 13:41 remaining in the opening stanza. The Ravens would cut the deficit down to six about four-and-a-half minutes later, but an 11-2 run that featured 3-pointers from Santo, senior John Nielsen (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and Mallios opened Saint Anselm's largest lead of the afternoon at 39-21 with 3:45 to play before halftime.
A 9-2 counter run pulled Franklin Pierce within 11, but the Hawks would score the final six points of the half to bring a 49-32 lead into the break. Behind Mallios' 3-for-4 outing from beyond the arc, Saint Anselm shot a blistering 57.1 percent (8-14) from long range in the first half.
Franklin Pierce came out of the locker room with fire in their eyes as it scored nine straight, including the last seven from Vilmont, to slash the deficit to eight at 49-41 just 2:35 into the second frame. With the margin at seven nearly six minutes later, a 5-0 spurt from the Hawks nudged the lead to 12, but a balanced 10-0 run from Franklin Pierce pulled it to within 69-67 with 8:08 left.
The teams would then trade baskets before six straight points from Saint Anselm extended its lead to 77-69 with 5:42 on the clock. The Ravens would whittle it back to four, but a 6-1 stretch from the Hawks gave them a nine-point advantage at 85-76 with 1:35 left.
Franklin Pierce answered by scoring six of the next eight points to close within 87-82 with under a minute left, but a Nielsen layup made it a three-possession game with 42 seconds to go. That was enough for the Hawks, despite going 1-for-4 from the line in the final 24 seconds.
Saint Anselm outshot Franklin Pierce, 47.9 percent (35-73) to 46.5 percent (33-71), including 52.6 percent (10-19) to 26.1 percent (6-23) from distance. The Ravens went to the line 10 more times than the Hawks, but only made 52 percent (13-25) of their shots, while Saint Anselm was good for a 66.7 percent (10-15) clip. Despite being outrebounded, 44-38, Saint Anselm owned a 14-6 margin in second chance points. The Hawks also featured a better assist-to-turnover ratio (18/11-12/16), while Franklin Pierce thinly won the paint (46-44).
Donte Gittens netted 17 for the Ravens, while Adrianos Vourliotakis Perdikaris added 16.
The Hawks return to action Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. when they take on Merrimack College. The next and final regular-season home game for the Hawks is Saturday, Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. when they play host to Assumption College on Senior Day 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.
