Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The #12 Saint Anselm College men's basketball team improved to 14-1 overall and matched the program record start to a season with a 74-61 win over Le Moyne College on Tuesday night in Northeast-10 Conference action in Syracuse, N.Y.
With the win, the Hawks remain on top of the NE-10 standings at 9-1 while Le Moyne falls to 5-9 and 3-6 in the NE-10.
Saint Anselm matches the best start in program history set by the 1960-61 squad that began the year 14-1. The Hawks have a chance to top that mark on Saturday afternoon when they host Southern Connecticut State University in a 3:30 p.m. Northeast-10 game featuring the top two teams in the conference.
Victor Joshua (New Haven, Conn.) scored a team-high 18 points, while Mike McCahey (Clarkstown, N.Y.) posted his second double-double in the last three games with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Harrison Taggart (Wallingford, Vt.) added 13 points and four assists, with Chris Braley (Newport, Maine) chipping in 11 points of his own. Cody Ball (Londonderry, N.H.) had eight points and three assists off the bench.
The Hawks jumped out to an early 7-2 lead following a triple from Harrison Taggart and he connected on another jumper a minute later to give the Hawks a 9-2 advantage and force a Le Moyne timeout. Saint Anselm continued their hot start to the contest as a three from Mike McCahey made it a 20-4 lead with 12:31 remaining in the half. Another Taggart three at the 11:56 mark extended the Hawk lead to their largest of the half at 23-4.
Back-to-back triples from Tanner Hyland helped the Dolphins climb back to within nine at 25-14. Victor Joshua sandwiched a pair of layups around a Grant Mackay (North Berwick, Scotland) tip-dunk to go up 31-14, but Hyland answered with another three to make it a 31-17 game. The two teams traded baskets, and Le Moyne's Daniel Kaigler scored inside to cut the deficit to only 33-23 with 3:24 to play, but Saint Anselm took a 39-27 advantage into the break.
The Dolphins came out firing and quickly cut the deficit to only 39-33 in the opening minutes of the second half. A Kaigler free throw kept it a six point game with 13:47 remaining in the period, and Hyland pulled the Dolphins to within five at 46-41 only 20 seconds later.
Cody Ball converted back-to-back layups to put the Hawks back on top 50-41, and Ryan Hartung (Haverhill, Mass.) connected on a straight away three to pull ahead by 10 points at 53-43.
Joshua scored on two-straight possessions and Ball hit a three to cap a 7-0 run that gave the Hawks a 61-47 advantage. After a three from Hyland, the Hawks answered with a 9-1 run to take a commanding 70-51 lead with 3:42 to play in the game. Le Moyne would get as close as 13, but it was too little too late as the Hawks held on for the 74-61 win.
Saint Anselm shot 56.9% (29-of-51) from the floor and connected on 6-of-13 threes in the game. The Hawks outrebounded Le Moyne at a 36-28 clip, but committed 17 turnovers on the night to just 10 for the home team. Le Moyne shot 40.6% (26-of-64) from the field and hit only 5-of-23 (21.7%) of their shots from beyond the arc.
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