STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Junior
Keith Robinson (Phillip Island, Australia) set a new-career high in scoring with 19 points, but a strong offensive second half helped Saint Thomas Aquinas College hand the Saint Anselm College basketball team their first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon by a 91-68 final score.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm is back on the road next week on Wednesday, November 15th when they travel to the University of Bridgeport for a 7:00 p.m. matchup with the Purple Knights.
Score: Saint Anselm 68, Saint Thomas Aquinas 91
Records: Saint Anselm (1-1); Saint Thomas Aquinas (2-0)
Location: Staten Island, N.Y. (Sports and Recreation Center)
Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
Attendance: 100
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Back on the court for the second time in less than 18 hours, Saint Anselm did not show much fatigue early on. After Saint Thomas Aquinas started the game in front, 7-2, the Hawks went on a 14-6 scoring run to take a 16-13 lead. Robinson got on the board with a midrange jumper before setting up fifth-year Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) on a three-point field goal. Robinson also collected an offensive rebound on the next possession and cashed in on a three-point play to give the Hawks their first lead of the afternoon.
- The tandem of James Patterson and Kyle Pulliam provided the answer for the Spartans, rattling off a combined nine points during the next five minutes. The first three-pointer of the season by junior Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) pushed the Hawks lead up to four, but a quick pair of baskets capped by a Shaun Arnold slam dunk tied the game at 26-26 with 7:16 remaining in the first half.
- Both teams struggled offensively for the next three minutes of action, combining to shoot 0-7 from the floor with four turnovers during that sequence. A triple by Ethan Millirons gave Saint Thomas the lead back at 29-26. Five straight points by Patterson and a floater by Jamal Barnes extended their lead to 36-30.
- Junior Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) answered with a three-point basket off a feed from Arbuckle with under two minutes remaining in the half, but a three-point play by Pulliam and a made three-pointer by Patterson gave Saint Thomas Aquinas a 42-35 lead heading into halftime. Robinson had a team-high nine points to go along with three rebounds, while Arbuckle had seven points and three steals at the break. Patterson and Pulliam combined for 27 points in the first half for the Spartans.
- Barnes came out of the locker room on fire for Saint Thomas Aquinas, knocking down three straight three-pointers to spark an 11-0 run. The Spartans pulled ahead 53-35, which forced a timeout just 2:30 into the second half.
- Luis Risquez capped off the 17-0 scoring stretch for the Spartans with a made basket with 15:21 remaining. Junior Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland) stopped the bleeding for Saint Anselm shortly after with a dunk. Becker made two more shots at the rim while sophomore Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) knocked down a three-pointer to make it 59-45, Saint Thomas Aquinas.
- However, the Spartans responded with another nine-to-nothing scoring run to push their lead back up to 23 points.
- With just over five minutes remaining, Robinson scored seven straight Hawks points, including a triple and two layups. The sophomore knocked down another three-point field goal with 2:49 to play to cut the deficit back down to 20 points, but the game was already out of reach.
- Saint Thomas Aquinas outscored Saint Anselm 49-33 in the second half on their way to their second win of the season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Thomas Aquinas fired 74 shots and made 37 of them for an even 50% shooting, including making nine of 23 (39.1%) shots from beyond the arc.
- Saint Anselm shot 42.6% from the field, sinking seven out of 19 three-point baskets.
- The Hawks were efficient from the free throw line, knocking down 15 of 19, while the Spartans went eight for 13 from the charity stripe.
- The difference in the game came on the glass, with Saint Thomas Aquinas out-rebounding Saint Anselm 45-20, including 20 offensive boards. The Spartans also outscored the Hawks in the paint 44-22.
- Patterson finished with a game-high 23 points, while Barnes had 19 and Pulliam finished with 13 to lead the Spartans.
- Robinson ended with a career-high 19 points on 7-8 shooting. Morissette posted 13 points and eight rebounds, while Becker poured in a season-high 12 points to go along with four assists. Taylor set a new career-high with three blocked shots, while Arbuckle matched his career-best with three steals in the loss.
- This was the 10th ever meeting between these two programs, with the Hawks dropping to 8-2 all-time against the Spartans after winning the last three.
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