MANCHESTER, N.H. – Six scored in double-digits for the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team in Friday's season-opening 97-80 victory over Roberts Wesleyan College on Friday.
The Hawks begin the two-day East Region Challenge, presented by WNY Knee & Orthopedic Surgery PC, with a 1-0 record on the season. Saint Anselm led by as many as 31 points against Roberts Wesleyan (0-1), outscoring the Redhawks by a 45-21 margin at the break.
Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) led Saint Anselm with 22 points, adding six rebounds and five assists. Miles Tention (Palo Alto, Calif.) poured home 17 points and Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) totaled 14 points alongside eight rebounds.
Newcomers Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) and Jadon Archer (Enfield, Conn.) posted 13 and 12 points, respectively, and Owen McGlashan (Marlton, N.J.) narrowly missed a double-double with 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Elias Rodl (Berlin, Germany) also had a strong debut for Saint Anselm, scoring eight points in 24 minutes and contributing with three rebounds. The Hawks held the 41-to-33 edge in rebounding and shot over 51% from the floor, connecting on 10 three-point baskets.
Saint Anselm opened up a 10-point lead just 8:57 into the game and never looked back, thanks to an 8-0 run that was capped by a Tention triple. In that span, the Hawks took advantage of seven Roberts Wesleyan turnovers and shot 7-for-15 from the floor.
Ahead by 10 points late in the first half, Saint Anselm scored the final 14 points of the opening half while a stout defense kept Roberts Wesleyan to four missed baskets, including three from beyond the arc. Tention led the way with seven of his team's 14 points heading into the break.
The Redhawks outscored Saint Anselm by a 59-52 margin in the second half, but the Hawks first-half dominance allowed for a comfortable 17-point margin of victory. Arbuckle dropped 15 points in the final 20 minutes alone, leading the way with four assists, and Taylor and Becker provided eight points in the final 20 minutes.
Saint Anselm takes on the hosts from Daemen University at 1 p.m. on Saturday to conclude the East Region Challenge.
