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Will Davies - Men's Basketball vs. Southern Connecticut State
72
Southern Conn. St. SCSU 3-3,2-2 NE10
82
Winner St. Anselm SA 6-2,3-1 NE10
Southern Conn. St. SCSU
3-3,2-2 NE10
72
Final
82
St. Anselm SA
6-2,3-1 NE10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Southern Conn. St. SCSU 36 36 72
St. Anselm SA 43 39 82

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Five Score in Double Figures as Men's Basketball Surges to Fifth Consecutive Victory

MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College men's basketball recorded its fifth consecutive victory on Wednesday evening over Southern Connecticut State by a final score of 82-72. Five different players scored 12 or more points and grabbed five or more rebounds in the win for the Hawks, including freshman Will Davies (Saco, Maine) who set new career-highs with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
 

UP NEXT: 
  • Saint Anselm travels to Garden City, N.Y. to face Adelphi in Northeast-10 Conference play on Sunday, December 8th at 2:00 p.m.

Score: Saint Anselm 82, Southern Connecticut State 72
Records: Saint Anselm (6-2, 3-1 NE10), Southern Connecticut State (3-3, 2-2 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Wednesday, December 4th, 2024
Attendance: 436
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • The two teams traded buckets in an evenly-matched, fast-paced start to the contest that got out to a 9-9 score. Seven different players scored field goals within the opening four minutes of action, including four players for Saint Anselm.
  • Southern Connecticut State jumped ahead, 13-9, after a couple of baskets in the paint by Cherif Diarra and Isaac Hester.
  • Saint Anselm quickly countered with four points from junior Juju Ramirez (Lawrence, Kan.) and a three-pointer by junior Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) to take a 16-13 lead.
  • About seven minutes into the first half, Davies checked in and made an immediate impact. He totaled five quick points after finishing twice at the rim, including an and-one, to extend the Hawks' lead to 24-17.
  • Two more Saint Anselm reserves made their presence felt shortly after. Senior Jadon Archer (Enfield, Conn.) swiped a steal and threw it ahead to senior Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) for a layup in transition to push the home side's lead to nine points with 11:33 remaining in the half.
  • Southern Connecticut State regrouped after a quick timeout and generated a 7-0 scoring run. Albert Vargas led the Owls with four points during that stretch that cut the deficit down to just two points with the score at 26-24.
  • After a few minutes without any points, freshman Erik Oliver-Bush (Trenton, N.J.) attacked the basket and ended the drought for Saint Anselm with a layup to increase the lead back up to four points.
  • The Owls eventually tied the score back up at 33-33 following a triple by Christian McClease and a layup by Antonio Chandler.
  • The Hawks responded nicely and outscored the Owls, 10-3, over the final four minutes of the first half to lead by seven points at the break. Senior Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland) started to get in a rhythm with a pair of driving layups, while Morissette added five points including a big and-one bucket during that sequence.
  • Morissette opened the second half with a midrange jumper on the first offensive possession for Saint Anselm to extend the lead to nine, but back-to-back jumpers by Hester cut the deficit back down to just five for Southern Connecticut State with the score at 45-40.
  • The Hawks then found their stroke from long distance with Oliver-Bush burying a deep three and Morissette converting on a four-point play as they jumped back ahead by eight points.
  • After a three by Vargas cut the margin back down to five for the Owls, the Hawks poured in six quick points in the paint with Ramirez finishing a couple of layups to make it 59-50.
  • Southern Connecticut State continued to show their resolve with Hester connecting on three straight triples to make it a one-possession game. Davies responded in between with a three of his own for Saint Anselm, but the score was 62-59 with 10:37 left in the game.
  • Over the next five minutes, the Hawks straightened things out with an 11-0 run to take their largest lead of the game, 73-59. Davies dropped five points and McCarthy capped off the run with consecutive slashing layups.
  • Sean James ended the scoring drought for the Owls with a couple of three-pointers to trim the deficit back down to eight points, but that was the closest the visitors got the rest of the game. The Hawks kept them at arm's length for the remainder of the night and sealed the victory by a final score of 82-72.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Saint Anselm had another efficient night shooting and secured their third straight game with a field goal percentage of 50 percent or better. The Hawks made 32 of their 63 field goal attempts (50.8 percent) and hit five of their 14 three-point tries (35.7 percent).
  • Southern Connecticut State made 30 of their 77 field goal attempts (39.0 percent), including nine out of 31 shots from behind the arc (29.0 percent).
  • At the free throw line, the Hawks made 13 of their 23 foul shots (56.5 percent), while the Owls made three out of just six attempts (50.0 percent).
  • Southern Connecticut State won the battle on the boards and out-rebounded Saint Anselm, 47-40. The Owls more than doubled up the Hawks on the offensive glass, 15-7.
  • Saint Anselm made it a point to attack the basket. They outscored their opposition in the paint, 50-34, and in fastbreak points, 12-9. The visitors held a slight 6-4 edge in second chance points.
  • The Hawks' bench also had a solid night by pitching in 18 points compared to just six points scored by the Owls' reserves. All eight Saint Anselm players who saw action scored at least one field goal.
  • Saint Anselm capitalized on mistakes with 15 points off of 10 Southern Connecticut State turnovers. On the other side, the Hawks took good care of the ball and allowed just four Owls points off of a season-low eight turnovers.
  • The game featured six ties and three lead changes, all of which came in the first half.
  • Defensively, the Hawks recorded four blocks and four steals, while the Owls tallied three blocks and four steals.
  • As a team, Saint Anselm had 18 assists on their 32 made field goals. Southern Connecticut State had 15 assists on their 30 made field goals.
  • McCarthy led the Hawks with 18 points (9-17 FG) and five rebounds. It was his 12th straight game scoring in double figures dating back to last season. He has scored 11 or more points in every game so far this year.
  • Also finishing in double figures for Saint Anselm were Morissette with 17 points (5-13 FG, 2-6 3PT, 5-6 FT) and Ramirez with 15 points (5-10 FG, 5-9 FT). Morissette grabbed five rebounds, while Ramirez hauled in eight boards and dished out a career-high six assists.
  • Davies set new career-highs with 13 points (5-6 FG, 1-1 3PT, 2-3 FT) and seven rebounds off the bench, while Oliver-Bush was the other Hawk in double figures with 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-3 3PT) to go along with six boards.
  • Hester led Southern Connecticut State with a game-high 21 points (8-16 FG, 5-10 3PT), while three other Owls recorded double-doubles. Vargas finished with 16 points and 10 assists, Chandler posted 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Diarra had 10 points and also hauled in 11 boards.
  • This marked the 52nd all-time meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm improves to 34-18 overall against Southern Connecticut State in the series that began in 1969. It is the first win for the Hawks over the Owls since the 2022-23 season.

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