MANCHESTER, N.H. – Freshman
Erik Oliver-Bush (Trenton, N.J.) scored 19 points and made all five of his three-point attempts in a 94-89 win for the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team over Franklin Pierce in Northeast-10 Conference play on Wednesday night. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 11-7 overall and 7-4 in NE10 play on the season and remain tied for fourth place in the league standings.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm is back on the road to face American International in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday, January 25th at 3:30 p.m.
Score: Saint Anselm 94, Franklin Pierce 89
Records: Saint Anselm (11-7, 7-4 NE10), Franklin Pierce (2-16, 1-10 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025
Attendance: 286
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Demariontay Hall got open inside and threw down an emphatic, two-handed slam on the opening possession for Franklin Pierce. Donte Pope followed that up with a layup on the next offensive trip to put the Ravens ahead, 4-0.
- Oliver-Bush answered with two straight catch-and-shoot triples for Saint Anselm to tie the score at 6-6.
- At the other end, Saeer Miller knocked down a three for Franklin Pierce, but a pair of buckets in the paint by junior Juju Ramirez (Lawrence, Kan.) and senior Jadon Archer (Enfield, Conn.) gave Saint Anselm their first lead of the night, 10-9.
- After Hall answered with a shot in the paint for the Ravens, the Hawks regained the lead by going on a 7-2 scoring run. Senior Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland) scored all seven of those points for the home team after converting on a layup, two free throws, and a three-pointer.
- Franklin Pierce managed to jump back in front, 18-17, after Miller knocked down another three and Hall dropped in another shot in the paint.
- The lead changed once again as senior Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) tipped in a missed layup and junior Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) buried one from long distance to give Saint Anselm a 22-18 edge.
- The Ravens then used a few stops on the defensive end to tip the scales one more time. Hall provided his team with three quick points and Trevon Thomas finished at the rim to put the visitors back on top, 23-22.
- Over the next five minutes, the Hawks started to create some separation after orchestrating a 12-2 scoring run. Ramirez picked up assists on layups by Archer, McCarthy, and freshman Will Davies (Saco, Maine) and the Hawks made four free throws to pull ahead, 34-25, with 5:36 left in the first half.
- The two sides traded points over the next few possessions. Franklin Pierce ended their scoring drought with Miller making a layup, Pope converting in the midrange game, and Ja'Keese Kemp sinking a three. Saint Anselm answered with points on three straight possessions after McCarthy, Oliver-Bush, and Taylor all finished at the rim to keep the home team in front, 40-32.
- Pierce Prendergast helped the Ravens trim the deficit down to six points after hitting from long distance, but Archer canceled that out with his first three-pointer of the season to put the Hawks up by nine points.
- In the final moments before halftime, McCarthy helped Saint Anselm increase their lead to 11 with a made layup off a feed from Archer, but Nathaniel Smith cashed in from deep for Franklin Pierce to make it a 46-38 game at the halftime break.
- The Ravens outscored the Hawks, 4-2, early in the second half to climb back to within six points.
- Saint Anselm then found their stroke from behind the arc and knocked down three-pointers on four straight possessions. Oliver-Bush and Ramirez each connected twice from long distance, allowing the Hawks to increase their lead to 60-46 with 17:25 remaining.
- The Hawks continued to make it rain a few possessions later as Morissette got one to fall from deep and Oliver-Bush poured in another triple to give Saint Anselm its largest lead of the game at 68-48 with 15:45 to play.
- A layup by Pope and another three by Prendergast helped Franklin Pierce trim the margin back down to 15, but McCarthy responded with a layup and Morissette made a pair at the foul line to keep the Saint Anselm lead at 19 points.
- With under 12 minutes to go, redshirt freshman Trevor Labrecque (Nashua, N.H.) checked in off the bench and drained a triple from the corner. Ramirez connected from long range a few possessions later as the Hawks remained in the lead by a comfortable 18 points.
- The three-point frenzy continued as Davies and Morissette each made three-point field goals that gave Saint Anselm an 87-68 advantage with 7:23 left.
- Franklin Pierce did not throw in the towel and with under six minutes to go, the Ravens ripped off a 14-2 scoring run to pull back to within seven points. Pope lit a fire under his team with 10 of those 14 points including a couple of three-pointers, helping make it 91-84 with two minutes to go.
- On the next possession for Saint Anselm, Oliver-Bush drove hard to the paint and threw down a ferocious, one-handed jam to get the crowd back on its feet and put the Hawks back up by nine points.
- The Ravens were able to pull within four points after a couple of stops and made shots at the other end by Prendergast and Hall, but their comeback ultimately fell short as the Hawks were able to run out the clock and hold on for the 94-89 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm shot the ball extremely well throughout the game, making 33 of their 67 field goal attempts (49.7 percent) including 16 of 31 (51.6 percent) in the second half.
- Franklin Pierce was slightly less efficient, shooting 35 for 77 from the field (45.5 percent). The Ravens picked it up in the second half and shot 19 for 36 (52.8 percent) from the floor.
- The Hawks shot the lights out from deep and knocked down 15 of their 31 three-point attempts (48.4 percent). That included a scorching 10 out of 16 (62.5 percent) from long distance in the second half.
- The Ravens made only nine of their 26 shots from beyond the arc (34.6 percent).
- Both sides shot a similar percentage from the free throw line. Saint Anselm went 13 for 18 at the stripe (72.2 percent), while Franklin Pierce went 10 for 13 (76.9 percent) including nine for 11 (81.8 percent) in the second half.
- The Hawks held a slight edge on the glass and out-rebounded the Ravens, 43-38. The Ravens grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the game compared to eight offensive boards hauled in by the Hawks.
- Franklin Pierce outscored Saint Anselm in the paint, 44-36. Second chance points were nearly even with the Ravens maintaining a narrow 9-8 lead.
- In a fast-paced affair, the two sides combined for 40 fastbreak points with the Hawks holding a 22-18 advantage in that area.
- The bench for Saint Anselm provided a spark with three players combining for 17 points. They outscored the Franklin Pierce reserves, who contributed just 12 points.
- The game featured two ties and seven lead changes, most of which occurred early in the first half. The Hawks, who led by eight at halftime, controlled the lead from the 10:26 mark in the first half until the final buzzer. Their largest lead in the second half was 20 points.
- Both teams produced 14 points off turnovers. The Hawks turned it over 11 times, while the Ravens committed only six giveaways.
- Defensively, Saint Anselm recorded five blocks and three steals, while Franklin Pierce totaled eight blocks and six steals.
- The Hawks used good ball movement in the win with 27 assists on their 33 made baskets. The Ravens tallied 23 assists on their 35 made field goals.
- Five players finished with 11 or more points for Saint Anselm. McCarthy finished with a team-high 21 points (9-14 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-4 FT) to go along with nine rebounds. Oliver-Bush posted 19 points (7-10 FG, 5-5 3PT) and five rebounds.
- Ramirez had an excellent all-around game for the Hawks with 13 points (5-12 FG, 3-5 3PT), 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Morissette also had 13 points (3-10 FG, 3-8 3PT, 4-6 FT), while Archer scored 11 points, dished out eight assists, and grabbed five rebounds.
- Three players for Franklin Pierce finished in double figures. Hall and Pope each scored 26 points in the loss for the Ravens.
- This marked the 66th all-time meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm improves to 46-20 overall against Franklin Pierce in the series that began in 1984.
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