RINDGE, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's basketball team poured home 14 three-point baskets, easing its way to an 88-66 victory over Franklin Pierce University on Saturday in Northeast-10 Conference play.
Saint Anselm, receiving votes nationally in the D2SIDA Media Poll, improves to 17-6 overall and to 13-4 versus the NE10. Franklin Pierce sees its record fall to 14-10 and to 9-8 against conference opponents.
Ahead by only three points at the break, the Hawks took complete control of the game with a strong offensive output in the second half. Several lengthy scoring spurts for Saint Anselm, fueled by 51.5% shooting in the final 20 minutes, were the difference as the Hawks made just two turnovers.
Senior Miles Tention (Palo Alto, Calif.) scored 26 points, making 10 field goals and five triples, while classmate Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) reached 24 points and tacked on six rebounds. The team's 14 three-point baskets were the most on the road since Jan. 25, 2020 at Le Moyne.
Junior Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) narrowly missed a double-double, scoring 16 points and adding a team-best nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Senior Owen McGlashan (Marlton, N.J.) handed out four assists, matching sophomore Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) in that metric.
Saint Anselm hit on its first four shots of the game, opening up a 10-5 advantage. The Hawks eventually forged a half-high lead of six points (14-8), thanks to hot shooting – Arbuckle had eight of his team's first 14 points as the team was five-for-six from the floor.
Ahead by just five points, Saint Anselm lost the lead following nine-straight points by the Ravens just past the halfway point of the first half. Down 30-27 in the waning minutes, Saint Anselm was four-for-six from the floor to create an 11-3 scoring spurt that put the visitors into the lead heading into the break.
Both teams posted virtually identical field goal percentages (41.2% for Franklin Pierce, 40.0% for Saint Anselm), but the Hawks hit on five triples while the Ravens attempted just five shots from beyond the arc.
The Hawks were in front by a 41-39 score just before Saint Anselm unleashed a 25-8 scoring run across the next six-plus minutes of action, gaining a comfortable lead on the road. Once again, Arbuckle chipped in with eight points in that stretch as the Hawks made eight of their 12 shots.
The decisive blow in the game was the 17-2 stretch by the Hawks, capped off with a Becker dunk that forced a Franklin Pierce timeout with 9:58 left in regulation time.
Saint Anselm will head to Assumption this Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30 p.m. for a road showdown with the Greyhounds.
