MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman
Erik Oliver-Bush (Trenton, N.J.) stuffed the stat-sheet with a game-high 22 points, four assists, four rebounds, three blocks, and two steals to lead the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team to a Northeast-10 Conference win over defending league champion Saint Michael's on Tuesday evening by a final score of 81-57. Those numbers were all new career-highs for the first-year guard, who also shot 8-10 from the field and 3-4 from behind the arc. Six student-athletes for Saint Anselm finished the game in double figures in the scoring column.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm hosts Jefferson in non-conference action on Saturday, November 23rd at 2:00 p.m. from Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
Score: Saint Anselm 81, Saint Michael's 57
Records: Saint Anselm (2-2, 1-1 NE10), Saint Michael's (0-5, 0-3 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Wednesday, November 20th, 2024
Attendance: 576
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Junior Juju Ramirez (Lawrence, Kan.) got Saint Anselm on the board on the game's opening possession with a jumper in the paint.
- Alan Brzezinski answered with a pair of threes for Saint Michael's, but a fastbreak layup by Oliver-Bush and a made triple by junior Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) gave Saint Anselm an 8-6 lead just under four minutes into the game.
- A few moments later, Oliver-Bush caught a lob pass from senior Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland) and slammed home the alley-oop dunk to keep the Hawks in front, 10-8.
- That dunk sparked a 7-0 run for the home team with Morissette knocking down three free throws and senior Jadon Archer (Enfield, Conn.) making a fastbreak layup to make it 15-8.
- With 11:06 remaining in the first half, Archer connected on a midrange jumper, but another three from Brzezinski and a layup by Marcus Meeks allowed the Purple Knights to trim the deficit to 19-17.
- The visitors eventually tied the score at 21-21 following consecutive baskets from Brzezinski and Meeks, but the Hawks quickly responded with a 10-0 run to take a commanding lead.
- During that sequence for the Hawks, Morissette and Oliver-Bush each knocked down threes while Ramirez and McCarthy finished at the rim, which made it 31-21 with 2:52 left in the half. The Hawks held the Purple Knights without a made basket for over six minutes during that run.
- CJ Crews broke the scoreless drought for Saint Michael's, but another triple by Oliver-Bush gave Saint Anselm their largest lead of the half at 34-23.
- In the closing moments of the first half, TJ Henaghen was able to tip in a layup off a missed shot and Nolan Marold knocked down a pair at the free throw line. That allowed the Purple Knights to close the gap to 34-27 at the halftime break.
- The Hawks started the second half strongly on the defensive end with back-to-back blocks by Oliver-Bush and Ramirez on the opening possession.
- At the other end, Ramirez made a layup and Oliver-Bush cashed in for the third time from long distance to extend the Saint Anselm advantage to 40-28.
- Saint Michael's then scored five straight points after a jumper in the paint by Marold and another three by Brzezinski to make it a single-digit deficit.
- The Hawks responded with consecutive layups by McCarthy and Oliver-Bush to increase their lead back up to 44-33 with 15:12 remaining.
- Layups by Brzezinski and Meeks at the other end plus a free throw closed the gap to six points for the Purple Knights. The two sides then traded baskets with McCarthy scoring two straight field goals in the paint for the Hawks to make it 48-42 with 12:37 to play.
- Three more free throws by Morissette followed by baskets from Archer and McCarthy put the home side back up by double figures, 55-44.
- After Saint Michael's cut it back down to nine, Saint Anselm made four straight free throws with Oliver-Bush and senior Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) making two apiece to put the Hawks ahead by 13 points.
- Jacob Duniver then cashed in from deep for the Purple Knights with 8:36 to go, but the Hawks got the momentum right back after another slam dunk by Oliver-Bush that made it 61-49.
- That dunk sparked another run for Saint Anselm, who put together an 8-0 sequence to pull away. A three by Morissette in transition followed by another fastbreak layup from Oliver-Bush made it an 18-point game with the score 67-49 with 6:36 to play. Oliver-Bush and Ramirez each rejected shots during that run where Saint Michael's did not score for almost three minutes.
- Greg Kenney was able to convert on a couple of close-range baskets for the Purple Knights to break the scoring drought, but the Hawks closed the game on a 13-4 run over the final four minutes to seal the win.
- Archer scored eight points for Saint Anselm during that sequence, all from inside the paint, and also set up Taylor for a corner three with under a minute left.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm shot the ball well throughout the game and went 30 for 63 (47.6 percent) from the field. That included 17 made field goals out of 32 (53.13 percent) in the second half and seven made three-pointers out of 20 attempts (35.0 percent).
- Saint Michael's had a tough night shooting and went 21 for 69 (30.4 percent). They made just nine field goals out of 31 (29.03 percent) in the first half and connected on just five of their 29 three-point attempts (17.2 percent).
- Both teams had a below average game at the free throw line. The Hawks went 14 for 22 (63.6 percent), while the Purple Knights went 10 for 17 (58.8 percent).
- Saint Michael's held a slight advantage on the glass and out-rebounded the Hawks, 46-43. The Purple Knights also hauled in 17 offensive rebounds compared to eight offensive rebounds grabbed by the Hawks.
- Saint Anselm held large leads in points in the paint, 44-32, as well as fastbreak points, 26-7.
- Points off turnovers were also even with the Hawks holding a 9-8 edge. The Purple Knights led the game in second chance points, 11-6.
- Bench scoring was even with the Hawks just winning the battle, 20-19.
- The contest featured two ties and four lead changes, all of which came early in the first half.
- Saint Michael's committed 12 turnovers in the game compared to nine committed by Saint Anselm. The Hawks had four steals and seven blocks, while the Purple Knights had four steals and three blocks.
- As a team, Saint Anselm recorded 21 assists on 30 made baskets. Saint Michael's finished with 12 assists on 21 made shots.
- Oliver-Bush led the Hawks with his career-night that featured 22 points (8-10 FG, 3-4 3PT, 3-5 FT), four assists, four rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
- Five other Saint Anselm players finished with double-digit point totals, including Morissette who had 15 points (3-13 FG, 3-7 3PT, 6-8 FT) and five rebounds. Archer (7-8 FG) and McCarthy (6-10 FG, 2-5 FT) each totaled 14 points, with McCarthy grabbing 10 rebounds for the double-double.
- Ramirez finished with 10 points (5-10 FG) and seven rebounds to go along with three assists and a couple of blocked shots for the Hawks.
- Brzezinski was the only Purple Knight to finish in double figures. He ended his night with 21 points (8-11 FG, 4-7 3PT, 1-2 FT), five rebounds, and made four of his team's five three pointers. Marold recorded eight points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
- This marked the 130th all-time meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm improves to 74-56 overall against Saint Michael's in the series that began in 1939.
STAY CONNECTED:
