MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's basketball team, receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Poll, extended its winning streak to eight games, powering past Assumption University on Wednesday by an 84-72 margin.
Saint Anselm, who led by as many as 20 points with just 90 seconds left in the game, improves to 10-3 overall on the season and to 7-1 versus the Northeast-10 Conference. Assumption drops to 5-8 on the year, falling to 1-6 against the league.
Senior Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) posted 29 points alongside five rebounds and five assists. In his first collegiate start, sophomore Keith Robinson (Phillip Island, Australia) scored a personal-best 16 points in 28 minutes, tacking on seven rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Junior Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) posted 12 points, finishing with four rebounds and three assists, while junior Jadon Archer (Enfield, Conn.) hauled in a career-high eight rebounds. Senior Miles Tention (Palo Alto, Calif.) dished out six assists as the Hawks combined for 17 helpers.
Neither team could build a substantial lead in the opening 13-plus minutes of play as Assumption cut the Hawks lead to 23-22 with 6:21 to go in the opener. Saint Anselm quickly pulled away with an 8-0 run and used a last-second Arbuckle jumper to construct a 41-29 lead at the break.
Both teams combined for six three-point baskets in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second half, but it was Saint Anselm that put the game out of reach with a dominant 17-5 scoring run with under 10 minutes left in regulation time. Making just three field goals in a nearly five minute timeframe, the Hawks made eight of their 10 free throws to fortify its advantage.
Down by 20 points, 82-62 with 1:39 to go, the Greyhounds ended the game on a 10-2 run to shrink the scoring margin to 12 points. Saint Anselm has now scored at least 84 points in six of its games this season.
Saint Anselm was 11-for-19 (57.9%) from beyond the arc, its second-best rate of the season, and won the rebounding battle, 42-to-32.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Jan. 7, hosting New Haven at 3:30 p.m.
