BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The Saint Anselm College men's basketball team secured their second win of the season after defeating the University of Bridgeport on the road by a final score of 85-79. The Hawks improved to a 2-1 overall record with the victory over the Purple Knights.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm travels to Colchester, Vt. to face the Purple Knights of Saint Michael's College to begin Northeast-10 conference play on Saturday, Nov. 18 with a 2:00 p.m. tip-off.
Score: Saint Anselm 85, Bridgeport 79
Records: Saint Anselm 2-1; Bridgeport 0-1
Location: Bridgeport, Conn. (Harvey Hubbell Gym)
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023
Attendance: 227
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Sophomore Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) drained a triple in the opening minute of the game to give Saint Anselm the early 3-0 edge. The Purple Knights responded quickly after D'Andre Collins hit a three-pointer to even the score. The Hawks shortly after went on a 7-0 run highlighted by junior Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland), who poured in five points to put Saint Anselm ahead, 10-3. Bridgeport battled back thanks to a 10-2 run finished off by a layup from Collins to give the Purple Knights their first lead of the game at the 12:36 mark.
- Junior Keith Robinson (Phillip Island, Australia) responded with a layup followed by two good free throw attempts from senior Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) to put the Hawks back in front, 16-13. Freshman Jordan Horne (Newport News, Va.) checked into the game and made his first bucket of the night on a fastbreak. At the 9:38 mark, McCarthy stole the ball from Joshua Dennis who would then foul him at the rim allowing McCarthy to complete the three-point play, extending Saint Anselm's advantage to seven points. Matthew Gonzalez hit a three-pointer and a layup from Tim Dawson trimmed the Hawks' lead to 23-21.
- Saint Anselm earned their largest lead of the half thanks to back-to-back buckets from fifth-year Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) and a fastbreak layup by Robinson to go up by nine points. Bridgeport answered by generating a seven-to-one run started by a Dennis triple and finished off with a dunk by Samuel Desouza. The Purple Knights regained the lead in the final minute of the half after stringing together six late points to take a 37-35 advantage heading into the break.
- McCarthy kickstarted a 16-2 run by the Hawks to begin the second half featuring a pair of three-pointers from Morissette to go up 51-39. Bridgeport then strung eight points together to close the scoring gap and make it a 51-47 game. Arbuckle pushed the Hawks lead back into double-digits ,tallying five of the next 10 points for the team.
- Both teams continued to exchange buckets during the midway point of the half as McCarthy kept Saint Anselm ahead 68-58 after hitting a jumper at the 7:33 mark. Junior Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) made his way to the free throw line for the second time in the game with Morissette following shortly after. Both Hawks went two-for-two from the stripe. Bridgeport was able to tie the score at 76-76 as the contest approached the two-minute mark, but Morissette drained another clutch triple to give the Hawks a 79-76 lead with 1:47 remaining.
- Bridgeport attempted to three-pointers to tie the game, but misfired on both shots. McCarthy knocked down two important free throws with 36 seconds left to give Saint Anselm some breathing room. Ryan Moore made a three-point field goal for the Purple Knights with 26 seconds left, but four consecutive made free throws by Becker sealed the win for the Hawks.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm concluded the game shooting 48.3 percent from the floor (29-60) in comparison to Bridgeport who shot 39.7 percent from the field (27-68).
- The Hawks won the rebound battle by a 41-36 margin and found success from close-range by tallying 48 of their 85 points from inside the paint.
- Morissette led the team with a season-high 21 points (7-13 FG, 4-8 3-FG, 3-4 FT) to go along with six rebounds, three assists, and a block. McCarthy also recorded a season-high 20 points (7-13 FG, 6-10 FT) and led the squad with 10 rebounds to secure the double-double.
- Arbuckle (6-16 FG, 3-5 FT) and Robinson (7-9 FG) each ended the game in double-digits, combining for 29 points.
- This marked the 53rd meeting between these two programs with Saint Anselm improving to 28-25 in the all-time series against Bridgeport.
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