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Jovan Ristic Action Shot vs Roberts Wesleyan
107
Winner St. Anselm SA 1-0,0-0 NE10
86
Roberts Wesleyan RWC 0-1,0-0 ECC
Winner
St. Anselm SA
1-0,0-0 NE10
107
Final
86
Roberts Wesleyan RWC
0-1,0-0 ECC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Anselm SA 48 59 107
Roberts Wesleyan RWC 37 49 86

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Five Double-Digit Scorers Lead Men's Basketball Over Roberts Wesleyan to Open Season

AMHERST, N.Y.  – The Saint Anselm College men's basketball team opened its 2025-26 season with a 107-86 win over Roberts Wesleyan University at the Charles L. & Gloria B. Lumsden Gymnasium in the opening matchup of the East Region Challenge hosted by Daemen University on Friday.
 
Highlights 
  • Saint Anselm has now won four season-openers in a row, including three of the past four over Roberts Wesleyan.
  • The Hawks are now 3-0 all-time against the Redhawks, with an average margin of victory of 24 points.
  • This was the most points in a season-opener by Saint Anselm since the Hawks scored 111 against Keene State to begin the 1992-93 season.
  • Senior Josh Morissette led the team with 22 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone, now sitting at 1,011 career points. The senior shot 7-11 overall and 6-10 from long range in the win.
  • Sophomore Will Davies ran the floor for the Hawks, scoring a career-high 20 points on 7-12 shooting from the field and 3-6 from deep to go with a career-high seven assists.
  • Redshirt sophomore Jovan Ristic made an immediate impact in his Hawks debut, recording his first career double-double with career-highs of 16 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists.
  • The Hawks shot 59.4% (41-69) overall, their highest FG% in a game since Dec. 17, 2022, when the Hawks shot 64.3% (36-56) against Jefferson. Saint Anselm also shot 51.9% (14-27) from three-point range, after only eclipsing a 50% clip from deep once last season.
  • The Hawks won the rebound battle 41-16 and dominated in paint scoring, with a 54-28 edge in points in the paint.
  • Sophomore Paulius Rapolis recorded 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two blocks while freshman Jakye Rainey scored 11 points in 10 minutes off the bench.
How it Happened
 
Ristic opened the scoring when he corralled an offensive rebound and laid in the putback, plus the foul, as the Hawks took a 3-0 lead. Rapolis threw down a dunk and converted on a layup on the Hawks' next two possessions.
 
The Hawks' offense continued to roll, building an eight-point edge after a layup from sophomore Jack Medalie made the score 18-10. The Redhawks answered with a 14-2 run to build a lead of their own, 24-20.
 
Threes from freshman Hayden Johns and Morissette put Saint Anselm back in front, 33-32, and the Hawks ended the first half with six straight points, capping off a 27-13 run that gave Saint Anselm a 48-37 lead at the break.
 
The offense continued to fire on all cylinders for the Hawks to open the second half, increasing their lead to 15, 56-41, after threes from Morissette and Davies. Saint Anselm cruised to the win, leading by double-digits for the rest of the game with Davies putting up 15 points in the second half to keep Roberts Wesleyan out of reach.
 
Rainey hit all three of his three-point attempts in the second half, leading Saint Anselm to a blistering 9-14 clip from deep in the final 20 minutes of action. The Hawks took their largest lead of the game with just under a minute to play after a Rainey three made it 107-84.
 
Up Next
Saint Anselm men's basketball (1-0, 0-0 NE10) will play its second and final game of the East Regional Challenge tomorrow, taking on the hosts, No. 4 Daemen University (3-0, 0-0 ECC), at 2 p.m. at Lumsden Gymnasium in Amherst, N.Y.

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