MANCHESTER, N.H. – Miles Tention (Palo Alto, Calif.) put home 30 points on Saturday for the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team, helping the Hawks to an 84-65 victory against Southern Connecticut State University in the First Round of the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs.
Saint Anselm, the No. 3 seed in the Northeast Division, improves to 16-9 overall on the season while Southern Connecticut State, the No. 6 seed out of the Southwest Division, sees its season come to a close with a 7-18 overall record.
The Hawks will travel to Connecticut on Monday, Feb. 28, taking on the second-seed from the Southwest Division, the University of New Haven, in an NE10 Quarterfinals matchup to begin at a time to be determined.
Saint Anselm is now 55-30 (.647 winning percentage) across the team's 38 appearances in the NE10 postseason. In Saturday's victory, sophomores Tommy Fraser (Concord, N.H.) and Charlie Borstel (Melrose, Mass.) made their collegiate debuts.
Matching a career-high in point scoring that was originally established against Stonehill on Dec. 5 of this season, Tention exits play with 359 points to eclipse his 2019-20 total (357) in one fewer game played. Saint Anselm finished the day by shooting 53.3% from the floor (32-for-60), making 10 three-point baskets while winning the glass, 42-to-30.
Senior Chris Paul (Highland Mills, N.Y.) scored 14 points, tying for the team lead with classmate Gustav Suhr-Jessen (Virum, Denmark) with 10 caroms. Junior Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) scored 14 points and handed out five assists. Suhr-Jessen also contributed with eight points in 23 minutes for the Hawks.
The Hawks led from start to finish, scoring the first basket of the game and opening up a 14-6 lead on the Owls with 13:15 to go in the first half. Southern Connecticut State responded with 13 of the game's next 19 points, trimming the lead to just two points, 22-20, with 6:40 remaining.
Saint Anselm settled in from that point on, unleashing a 10-0 scoring run and ultimately pouring home 23 of the 27 points scored since Southern Connecticut State cut the lead down to just one possession. Ahead later in the second half by a 64-50 margin, Saint Anselm put the contest out of reach for the visitors, compiling a 14-2 run that led to a game-high lead of 27 points, 81-54, with 2:40 to go.
C.J. Seaforth led Southern Connecticut State with 18 point. Ulyen Coleman hauled in six rebounds, pacing the Owls in rebounds, and Lyron Bennett handed out three assists while scoring 12 points.
