MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's basketball team will open its season on Wednesday, Nov. 17, taking on the Falcons from Bentley University at 7:30 p.m. in Northeast-10 Conference play.

No. 12/RV SAINT ANSELM COLLEGE HAWKS (0-0, 0-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2020-21 Statistics | News

BENTLEY UNIVERSITY FALCONS (1-0, 0-0 NE10)
Roster | Schedule and Results | 2021-22 Statistics | News

The Hawks are competing in their first official game since defeating the University of New Haven in the NE10 Championship on Saturday, Mar. 7, 2020. Winning the team's ninth NE10 postseason championship, the Hawks were set to make their eighth consecutive appearance in NCAA postseason play before its cancellation.

Saint Anselm is ranked 12th in NCAA Division II, according to the D2SIDA Men's Basketball Division II Media Poll. The Hawks opened the year ranked No. 16 in the same poll and moved up to 12th nationally despite not playing a countable game. Saint Anselm is also receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' National Poll.

Bentley won its first game of the 2021-22 season on Friday, defeating the University of the Sciences in convincing fashion. Winning by a score of 96-59, the Falcons saw seven student-athletes score at least seven points. Bentley is the No. 2-ranked team in the East Region, trailing only top-ranked Saint Anselm, according to the D2SIDA regional poll.

Bentley and Saint Anselm are meeting for the 100th time in team history on Wednesday – the Hawks own the narrow 50-49 lead in the all-time series.

Saint Anselm is welcoming fans to Stoutenburgh Gymnasium in 2021-22. Until further notice, all spectators, regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear a face covering. For more information, please review the Ticketing and Spectator Policy.

The Hawks men's basketball team and Saint Anselm College are proud to honor, recognize and thank the team's Hawks Soar Higher Club donors.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM

• This season, the Hawks are projected to finish first in the Northeast Division of the Northeast-10 Conference. Saint Anselm earned 91 points and the maximum 13 first-place votes on their way to the top spot in the rankings. Saint Anselm has won each of the last three NE10 Northeast Division Regular Season Championships and two of the last four postseason championships.
• Saint Anselm took on NCAA Division I Vermont in an exhibition game to begin the year. Senior Miles Tention (Palo Alto, Calif.) was the leading scorer for the Hawks, pouring home 26 points on 10-for-21 shooting. Senior Gustav Suhr-Jessen (Virum, Denmark) was responsible for 18 points, connecting on seven of his 10 shots.
• The Hawks have lost just one student-athlete from the 2020-21 academic year. The Hawks return four of their five starters from its 2019-20 season, compiling a 21-8 record as of the season's abrupt end.
• A win in the 2020 NE10 Championship game gave the Hawks a commanding 42-4 record when playing at home since the start of the 2017-18 season.
• Prior to the 2019-20 season's cancellation, Saint Anselm owned the fourth-most potent offense in the East Region, averaging 82.3 points per game, and also enjoyed the region's fourth-best rebound margin (+4.4).
• Head Coach Keith Dickson, in his 36th year at Saint Anselm, has an overall record of 664-342 (.660) and stands as the program's all-time record holder for coaching victories. He also is the winningest men's basketball coach in NE10 history.

BENTLEY BRIEFS

• While Saint Anselm was picked to win the Northeast Division title in the league's Preseason Coaches' Poll, Bentley was selected to finish second. The Hawks have won each of the last three regular-season titles in the Northeast Division.
• In Bentley's convincing victory over USciences, the Falcons shot 56% from the floor and doubled up the Devils on the glass, hauling in 46 of the game's 69 rebounds as well. Colton Lawrence competed in his first game since March 2019, scoring 17 points.
• Bentley was leading by a 52-27 margin at halftime, thanks to 50% shooting from the floor (19-for-38) and from distance (9-for-18). The Falcons overwhelmed the visitors in rebounding, notching 24 boards in the first 20 minutes alone.
• Like Saint Anselm, the Falcons return lots of experience to the court as the projected lineup for Bentley has student-athletes that all own at least one year of starting experience. In total, it is expected that Head Coach Jay Lawson will start three graduate students and two seniors against the Hawks.
• Bentley is in search of its first NE10 championship since 2008. The Falcons have won 15 or more games in five of the past six seasons under Lawson, including a 21-win season in 2015-16.

ALL-TIME vs. BENTLEY

• Wednesday's season-opener for Saint Anselm will be the 100th meeting between the Hawks and Falcons dating back to Dec. 8, 1975. The Hawks own the narrow lead in the all-time series, 50-49.
• Saint Anselm has won six of the last seven games against the Falcons. The Hawks have won each of the last eight games against Bentley that have been played in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
• Last time out, the Hawks picked up a convincing 94-55 victory over Bentley on Feb. 25, 2020. The 39-point margin of victory is the biggest for either team in the series' history.