SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Junior
Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) scored a game-high 32 points and hit seven threes to lead the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team to a 97-83 road win over American International in Northeast-10 Conference action on Saturday. With the victory, the Hawks improve to 12-7 overall and 8-4 in NE10 play on the season and are now tied for third place in the league standings.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm is back home to face St. Thomas Aquinas in non-conference action on Wednesday, January 29th at 7:30 p.m. in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
Score: Saint Anselm 97, American International 83
Records: Saint Anselm (12-7, 8-4 NE10), American International (3-17, 2-10 NE10)
Location: Springfield, Mass. (Henry A. Butova Gymnasium)
Date: Saturday, January 25th, 2025
Attendance: 264
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- It was an even battle in the early stages of the game with both teams finding success offensively. Morissette got out to a hot start with five of the first seven points for Saint Anselm, helping his team take a 7-6 lead after sinking a three-pointer and a midrange jumper.
- American International found their stroke from long range over the next few minutes. The Yellow Jackets connected on three straight threes, two by Coleman Hopson and one by Justice Ellison, to regain the lead.
- Senior Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland) settled the Hawks down with their next four points and freshman Erik Oliver-Bush (Trenton, N.J.) cashed in a three to cut the deficit to 15-14 six minutes into the game.
- The lead went back and forth over the next few minutes with both sides making shots. Jack Hall knocked down a three for American International, but Morissette responded with another midrange jumper and sophomore Jordan Horne (Newport News, Va.) finished at the rim to give Saint Anselm a 21-20 advantage.
- Horne's layup was the start of a 9-0 run for the Hawks, who started to create some separation. Morissette connected on another triple, while Horne and redshirt freshman Trevor Labrecque (Nashua, N.H.) each made layups to extend the Saint Anselm lead to 28-20 midway through the first half.
- The Yellow Jackets ended their scoring drought with a free throw a couple possessions later, but the Hawks increased their lead to a dozen points after a layup by McCarthy and a three-pointer by senior Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia).
- Ellison scored the first field goal for American International in nearly five minutes at the 8:47 mark to cut the deficit back down to 10, but Saint Anselm answered with another 9-0 scoring surge that increased their lead to 19 points. Morissette cashed in from long distance once again and junior Juju Ramirez (Lawrence, Kan.) got two layups to fall, which made it a 42-23 game.
- Hopson responded for the Yellow Jackets by making two more threes, but Ramirez scored four quick points including a dunk in transition to keep the Hawks ahead, 48-29.
- Scoring was even over the final few minutes of the first half. Ellison scored five points for his team including an and-one layup. At the other end, Oliver-Bush buried another three and Ramirez made one more layup as the Hawks led at halftime, 54-36.
- After the second half began with an even 4-4 start, Morissette drained another triple and McCarthy kissed one off the glass to give Saint Anselm a 23-point lead, their largest of the afternoon.
- Ellison scored another layup at the other end and Hopson saw his fifth three-pointer of the game fall as American International trimmed the margin back down to 18 points.
- Oliver-Bush and Morissette answered right back for the visitors with a pair of fastbreak baskets to keep the lead at 20 with under 15 minutes to play.
- The Yellow Jackets then got some much-needed defensive stops that allowed them to go on a 10-2 run to get back into the game. They held the Hawks to just one field goal over a four-minute stretch and at the other end, Hall hit two threes and Ellison made a couple of midrange jumpers to make it 69-57 with 11:29 remaining.
- Morissette provided the answer with a timely triple to end his team's scoring drought. Ellison fought back with a couple of layups for American International, but Morissette and McCarthy combined for the next seven points to increase the lead back up to 18 for Saint Anselm.
- The battle between Ellison and Morissette continued over the next few possessions. Ellison scored a couple more layups in the paint and Morissette hit another three and made a pair at the foul line. Two free throws after that by McCarthy ended a streak of 17 straight Saint Anselm points by him and Morissette and helped keep the Hawks in front by 19.
- Tyrae Washington provided his team with consecutive two-point field goals shortly after, but McCarthy got to the line two more times and made all four free throws for the Hawks. Morissette followed that up with another three and Saint Anselm maintained a 95-75 edge with 3:31 to go.
- American International went on an 8-2 run to end the game, but the deficit was too large to overcome as Saint Anselm earned the 14-point road victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm had a successful offensive performance. They shot the ball extremely well, going 35 for 66 from the floor (53.0 percent) including 22 for 35 in the first half (62.9 percent).
- 97 points scored by the Hawks is their third-most in a game this season. It is their sixth time scoring more than 90 points.
- American International also shot the ball efficiently, going 35 for 72 from the field (48.6 percent) including 22 for 41 in the second half (53.7 percent).
- The Hawks shot it well from long distance and made 10 of their 18 three-point attempts (55.6 percent).
- The Yellow Jackets struggled from behind the arc and made only nine of their 29 attempts from deep (31.0 percent).
- A huge discrepancy came at the free throw line with Saint Anselm going 17 for 21 (81.0 percent) and American International making only four out of five (80.0 percent).
- The Hawks controlled the battle on the boards and out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets, 40-31. The Hawks grabbed nine offensive rebounds compared to just seven hauled in by their opposition.
- Points in the paint were fairly even with Saint Anselm holding a slight 42-38 edge. The Hawks also dominated in transition, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 23-8 in fastbreak points. Second chance points were a bit closer, but Saint Anselm still maintained a 17-12 lead in that area.
- The bench for the Hawks had a solid afternoon and outscored the Yellow Jacket reserves, 20-2. Three different players scored four or more points off the bench for Saint Anselm.
- The game featured three ties and 10 lead changes, all of which came early in the first half. The Hawks, who led by 18 at halftime, controlled the lead from the 11:15 mark in the first half until the final buzzer. Their largest lead of the game was 23 points in the second half.
- American International scored 16 points off of 12 turnovers by Saint Anselm. The Hawks scored 12 points off of 11 giveaways by the Yellow Jackets.
- Defensively, Saint Anselm recorded two blocks and six steals, while American International totaled five blocks and seven steals. Horne set a new career-high with three steals off the bench for the Hawks.
- As a team, the Hawks shared the rock with 14 assists on their 35 made baskets. The Yellow Jackets tallied 16 assists on their 35 made field goals.
- Five players finished with eight or more points for Saint Anselm. Morissette finished with a game-high 32 points (11-18 FG, 7-9 3PT, 3-4 FT) in addition to seven rebounds and three assists.
- McCarthy recorded a double-double with 21 points (6-12 FG, 9-10 FT) and 11 rebounds to go along with a career-high six assists. It was his ninth double-double of the season and the 20th of his career.
- Four players for American International finished with 13 or more points. The Yellow Jackets were led by Ellison, who finished with 30 points (14-24 FG, 1-5 3PT, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
- This marked the 130th all-time meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm improves to 83-47 overall against American International in the series that began in 1935.
STAY CONNECTED:
