MANCHESTER, N.H.  – Sophomores Will Davies and Jovan Ristic each recorded double-doubles to lead the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team to its second consecutive win at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium, defeating Molloy University, 97-92, in a non-conference game on Saturday.
 
Highlights 

• This marks the fourth all-time meeting between Saint Anselm and Molloy as the Hawks improve to 3-1 against the Lions in the series that began in 2015.
• Senior Josh Morissette led the Hawks with 21 points on five three-pointers, recording 13+ points for the fourth consecutive game.
• Davies and Ristic each recorded double-doubles, the first of Davies' career and the second of the season for Ristic. Davies tallied 15 points and 10 assists with four rebounds and two blocked shots, while Ristic scored 10 points with 12 boards, three assists, and one steal.
• Davies leads the league with 7.5 assists per game, and Ristic ranks third in the conference with 10.3 rebounds per game and has a league-high 20 offensive boards this season.
• Freshman Hayden Johns scored a career-high 17 points on an efficient 8-12 shooting from the field, with two steals, a rebound, and an assist. He's now third on the team and leads all freshmen in scoring in the NE10 at 12.3 points per game.
• The Hawks shot 54.0% (34-63) from the field, dominating with 48 points in the paint, shooting 25-39 (64.1%) on two-point field goal attempts in the win.
• There were 19 lead changes and five ties in a game that saw Saint Anselm win the rebounding battle 36-26.

How it Happened
 
There were 16 lead changes in the first eight minutes of the game, with the teams trading baskets on nearly every possession to open the non-conference matchup. Morissette knocked down three consecutive three-point attempts as he led the Hawks' offense early.
 
After a miss from the Lions, Johns finished a layup in the paint that gave Saint Anselm a two-possession lead , 23-19, with 10:34 remaining in the half. Morissette's fourth three-pointer of the half put the Hawks up by nine, 32-23, but Molloy answered with a pair of threes to cut its deficit down to four points, 36-32.
 
Davies and Ristic knocked down back-to-back threes, and the Hawks' offense began to rattle off made baskets, with another strong finish by Johns at the rim giving Saint Anselm its largest lead of the game, 53-38, with 2:47 left on the clock. Molloy ended the half on an 8-1 run as the Hawks led 54-46 at the break.
 
The Lions opened the second half with a three-pointer, but a pair of layups from sophomore Paulius Rapolis and another Morissette triple put Saint Anselm back up by eight, 61-53. A 15-6 run by Molloy gave the Lions their first lead of the game since the 12:27 mark of the first half, taking a one-point edge, 68-67.
 
Sophomore Isaiah Griffin made five free throws during a 7-2 run for the Hawks as they reclaimed the lead, 77-74, with just over eight minutes to play. Morissette, Johns, and junior Jack Medalie all made layups on three consecutive possessions, and Medalie capped off the big Saint Anselm run with another finish in the paint that gave Davies his 10th assist of the night as the Saint Anselm lead grew to seven, 85-78.
 
A pair of layups from Johns and a couple of jumpers from Davies iced the game for the Hawks as they secured the 97-92 win at Stoutenburgh Gym over the Lions.
 
Up Next
Saint Anselm men's basketball (3-1, 0-0 NE10) travels to Franklin Pierce University (2-1, 0-0 NE10) on Tuesday, Nov. 25, for a 5 p.m. tipoff at The Fieldhouse in Rindge, N.H., in a non-conference matchup.

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