MANCHESTER, N.H. - Visiting and nationally-ranked No. 23 Post University came into Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on Tuesday afternoon and fought hard until the final buzzer, pulling off a comeback win in non-conference action over the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team by a final score of 69-68.
 

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UP NEXT:

• Saint Anselm is back on the Hilltop on New Year's Eve (Sunday, December 31st) to host Daemen University at 1:00 p.m.

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Score: Saint Anselm 68, No. 23 Post 69
Records: Saint Anselm 4-6; No. 23 Post 9-1
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Tuesday, December 19th, 2023
Attendance: 153
 

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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A ferocious start on the defensive end of the floor allowed Saint Anselm to jump out in front, 10-0, in the early going. Four different Hawks starters got to the bucket and cashed in on layups, but the effort defensively forced Post to miss their first 12 attempts from the field and turn the ball over twice.
• Bol Akot finally got the scoring started for the Eagles after knocking down two free throws at the 14:03 mark of the first half. However, Post did not get their first field goal until 12:42 after a jumper by Quest Harris.
• Fifth-year Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) drilled a three-pointer and also knocked down a mid-range jump shot a few possessions later to give Saint Anselm a 20-6 advantage with 10 minutes to play in the opening half.
• After two minutes of scoreless basketball, Post ignited an eight-to-nothing scoring run, which included threes on back-to-back possessions from Robert Sanders and Deng Deang to cut the deficit to 20-16.
• Arbuckle provided the answer for the Hawks with two layups through a physical Eagles defense. With three minutes left in the half, junior Keith Robinson (Phillip Island, Australia) connected from deep to give his team a seven-point lead.
• Saint Anselm closed the first half with buckets on consecutive possessions by Robinson and Arbuckle to head into the locker room ahead, 35-24.
• Senior Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) made a huge play at the start of the second half for the Hawks, picking the pocket of Sanders and finishing an and-one layup in transition to make it a 39-26 game.
• Another made jumper from Arbuckle and two driving layups from junior Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland) helped the Hawks maintain their 13-point lead with 14:35 remaining. A fast-break layup by sophomore Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) extended the margin to 17 points and forced a timeout by Post as the Hawks led, 49-32, with 13:50 to play.
• Deang helped regain some momentum for the Eagles, converting on an and-one layup and making the ensuing free throw. After successful defensive stops, Sanders and Derrick Thomas II both connected from long distance for Post and forced a timeout by Saint Anselm after cutting the deficit back down to 10 points.
• A made three-pointer by Becker helped Saint Anselm keep some separation, but the Akot and Deang continued to get into good scoring positions in the paint and combined for eight more points for the Eagles to make it 60-55 and just a five-point Hawks lead with six minutes to go.
• With 2:40 remaining, Arbuckle finished off another physical layup to put Saint Anselm back up by nine points, but another three-pointer by Sanders made it 68-62 and kept Post in striking distance.
• With under a minute remaining, Akot applied full court pressure for the Eagles and came up with a steal before finishing a layup while being fouled. His free throw made it a three-point game with 54 seconds left. After a missed shot from Morissette on the other end, Deang followed up an Akot miss with a two point tip back as Saint Anselm held just a one-point lead with 13 seconds left.
• The Eagles then forced a Hawks turnover and Deang capitalized with the go-ahead layup with just 3.5 seconds remaining as Post took their first lead of the game, 69-68. McCarthy's half court heave was unsuccessful and Saint Anselm fell to Post by just one point.

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Saint Anselm shot 26-58 (44.8%) from the floor, but just three of 13 (23.1%) from three-point range. Post went 28-72 (38.9%) from the field while going five of 15 (33.3%) on three-pointers.
• The Hawks out-rebounded the Eagles 41-36, but the Eagles turned 16 Hawks turnovers into 17 points of their own. Saint Anselm blocked seven shots in the loss.
• Saint Anselm made 13 of their 16 free throw attempts, good for 83.1%, while Post knocked down all eight of their attempts from the charity stripe.  
• Arbuckle led the Hawks with 23 points (9-17 FG, 1-4 3PT-FG, 4-4 FT) as well as a team-high nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals. McCarthy and Robinson were the only two other Hawks in double-figure scoring, as they both finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Robinson's four blocked shots sets a new career-high.
• Deang led the scoring effort for Post with 20, while his counterpart Akot finished with 15 points, 13 of which were in the second half.
• This marked the 15th all-time meeting between these programs with Saint Anselm falling to 11-4 in the all-time series.

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