MANCHESTER, N.H. - Fifth-year
Tyler Arbuckle (Bristol, Conn.) scored a game-high 19 points and the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team used a fast start to outlast Bentley University in Northeast-10 Conference action on Tuesday night.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm hits the road for their next two games, first taking on Assumption University in Worcester, Mass. on Saturday, February 3rd before traveling to Rindge, N.H. to take on Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday, February 7th.
Score: Saint Anselm 65, Bentley 62
Records: Saint Anselm 9-11 (7-7 NE10); Bentley 13-8 (8-6 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Attendance: 193
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both teams struggled to find any rhythm offensively to open the game, but visiting Bentley got on the board first with a three-pointer just under two minutes in. However, Saint Anselm responded with a 13-0 scoring run over the next four minutes to take a commanding 10-point lead. Arbuckle poured in the first seven for the Hawks, while senior Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) knocked down back-to-back triples during that stretch.
- Not long after, juniors Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland) and Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) both got into the paint and scored to help extend Saint Anselm's lead to 15 points with the score at 19-4 with 12:55 remaining in the first half.
- After Bentley finally found some offensive success with scores on consecutive possessions, Arbuckle answered by scoring nine straight points for the Hawks. The fifth-year guard knocked down three midrange jumpers and one from long range to give him 16 points in the half and his team a 30-9 advantage.
- Sophomore Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) scored four straight points for Saint Anselm to close out the half and the home team led, 37-17, going into the locker room.
- It did not take long for Bentley to get back into the game as the Falcons opened the second half outscoring the Hawks 13-0 in the first four minutes to trim the deficit to just 7 points. Kellan Bochenek had five points to lead Bentley during that span.
- Helping Saint Anselm maintain some breathing room was McCarthy, who got into the paint on five separate occasions within five minutes that provided much needed buckets for the Hawks. The junior big man's ten points helped Saint Anselm go on a 14-4 run of their own to go back up by 16 points.
- Bentley shut down Saint Anselm's offense by keeping the Hawks off the board for the next three minutes of game time. The Falcons were able to pull back within single digits during that time to make it 55-46 with 6:45 to go until another basket from McCarthy pushed the Hawks' lead back up to 11 points.
- With under five minutes to play, Saint Anselm led by 13 points, but that did not stop Bentley from attempting to get back into the game quickly. The Falcons were able to rattle off 14 points including some timely threes, but the Hawks still held a 63-60 lead with a minute to go. Senior Josh Menard (Higganum, Conn.) was key down the stretch in helping Saint Anselm keep their lead with two driving layups on consecutive possessions.
- After the Hawks missed the front end of a one-on-one with 21 seconds, the Falcons used a Bochenek layup with seven seconds left to make it just a one-point game. However, Morissette was clutch at the other end by knocking down a pair of free throws to make it 65-62, Saint Anselm. Bentley failed to get a shot up on the final possession and Saint Anselm held on for the three-point win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Each team struggled to shoot efficiently in a low scoring affair. Saint Anselm went 27 of 72 (37.5%) from the field while Bentley shot 23 of 57 (40.4%) from the floor. Both sides also had a hard time shooting from deep, with the Hawks making just four out of 18 (22.2%) and the Falcons making just seven of 22 (31.8%) from long distance.
- Saint Anselm knocked down seven of 11 (63.6%) from the free throw line compared to nine out of 13 (69.2%) at the stripe for Bentley.
- The Falcons committed 13 turnovers in the game, while the Hawks committed a season-low of just three. Saint Anselm registered 10 steals and turned back two shots, while Bentley totaled just three steals, but blocked six shots.
- The rebounding battle was tight with the Falcons holding a slim 42-41 advantage on the glass. The Hawks held a 10 point edge (36-26) in points in the paint. The game was mostly played in the half court with just 11 combined fastbreak points on the evening.
- Four Hawks registered double-digits in the scoring category for the second straight game including Arbuckle (19 points), McCarthy (15 points), Morissette (13 points), and Becker (10 points). Becker also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds and had three steals, while McCarthy also recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds.
- Cash McClure (18 points) and Bochenek (17 points) led Bentley with a combined 35 points on 14-26 combined shooting.
- This marked the 107th meeting between these programs. Saint Anselm is now 53-54 overall against Bentley.
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