MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior
Josh Morissette (Exeter, N.H.) poured in a game-high 28 points and knocked down five three-pointers, but the Saint Anselm College men's basketball team suffered an 83-73 loss to Bentley in Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) play on Saturday. The Hawks fall to 14-11 overall and 9-8 in league play with the loss and are now tied for sixth place in the conference standings with Southern Connecticut State with three games remaining.
Prior to the game, seniors
Jadon Archer (Enfield, Conn.),
Sean McCarthy (Cork, Ireland)
Brogan Shannon (Wolfeboro, N.H.), and
Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) were honored in a special pregame ceremony as part of Senior Day. The men's basketball class of 2025 has helped the Hawks win 52 games over their last three seasons together, including 36 in NE10 play and five in the postseason. In 2023, this group helped the Hawks win the NE10 Championship and host the NCAA Division II East Regional. They also led the team to two playoff wins and an NE10 Semifinals appearance last year.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm hosts Southern New Hamphire in NE10 action on Wednesday, February 19th at 7:30 p.m. from Stoutenburgh Gymnasium for their final regular season home game.
Score: Saint Anselm 73, Bentley 83
Records: Saint Anselm (14-11, 9-8 NE10), Bentley (15-8, 12-5 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Saturday, February 15th, 2025
Attendance: 384
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Saint Anselm got out to a 6-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game after scoring on three of their first four possessions. Morissette, Archer, and junior Juju Ramirez (Lawrence, Kansas) all scored for the Hawks to put them in front early on.
- Cooper Farrall tied the score after making a layup followed by a pair at the free throw line for Bentley.
- McCarthy answered with four straight points after also making two free throws and a driving layup to put the Hawks back in the lead, 10-6.
- Over the next five minutes, the Falcons used an 11-2 run to vault into the lead. Cash McClure and Aaron Latham knocked down three-pointers for the visitors, and Chase Clarke ended the run with a layup to put Bentley ahead, 17-12.
- Senior Zac Taylor (Victoria, Australia) ended the run by burying a triple for Saint Anselm to cut the deficit to two points, but Bentley scored eight straight points to extend their lead to 10 midway through the first half. Farrall and Latham each drilled shots from behind the arc, while Clarke dropped in another layup for the Falcons.
- The Hawks started to lock in on defense and did not allow the Falcons to score for nearly four minutes. They were able to pull back to within five points after two free throws by sophomore Jordan Horne (Newport News, Va.) followed by a three-pointer by Morissette, which made it 25-20.
- The Falcons responded and ended the drought with five quick points. Ivan Misic hit a jumper in the paint and McClure connected on a three in transition to put the visitors back in the lead by 10 points with five minutes left in the half.
- Morissette and Bentley's Dre Roman traded baskets over the next few possessions. Roman sank a triple and then got downhill for a layup, while Morisette converted on a pair of midrange jumpers at the other end as Saint Anselm trailed by nine points.
- McCarthy got the Hawks back to within six after scoring in the paint while being fouled. His free throw made it 35-29 with 1:42 left in the half.
- The Falcons used a 6-0 run to double their lead before halftime. McClure set up Misic for a pair of wide open three-pointers, which made it 41-29 at the break.
- Bentley opened the half on a 10-2 run to extend their lead to 20 points. Farrall and Latham both hit from long range, while McClure made a pair of layups during that run for the Falcons, which forcred a timeout by the Hawks.
- Saint Anselm responded with a 12-2 scoring surge to trim the deficit back down to 10. Morissette made an and-one layup for the Hawks during that stretch and freshman Will Davies (Saco, Maine) closed the run with consecutive jumpers from the free throw line, which made it 53-43 with 12 minutes left.
- Roman helped Bentley stay at arms' length by knocking down four consecutive free throws that kept his team ahead by 14.
- The Hawks outscored the Falcons, 12-5, over the next few possessions to pull back to within single digits. Morissette scored five of those points and buried another three, while Davies once again ended the run with back-to-back shots that helped cut the deficit to 62-55 with eight minutes to play.
- Farrall started to get hot for the visitors. He scored eight straight points for Bentley, which included a dunk and a three-pointer, as their lead grew back up to 12 points.
- Morissette cashed in from long range for Saint Anselm with under five minutes left to make it a 70-61 game, but Bentley countered with a 7-0 run to pull away. Misic provided the dagger for the Falcons by knocking down his third triple of the afternoon.
- The Hawks did not quit and applied a full court press that created some turnovers. They got some life back with a 9-2 run after Morissette dropped in another three and freshman Erik Oliver-Bush (Trenton, N.J.) scored four points in the paint, but Bentley still held a 79-70 lead with one minute remaining.
- Morissette ended up hitting one last three-pointer in the final minute, but a dunk by Farrall sealed the win 10-point win for the Falcons.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm had an efficient afternoon shooting, making 27 of their 58 shots from the floor (46.6 percent). The Hawks shot 17 for 31 (54.8 percent) in the second half.
- Bentley was slightly less efficient and made 29 field goals out of 66 attempts (43.9 percent), but shot 14 for 28 (50.0 percent) in the second half.
- The Hawks had a tough time getting it going from behind the arc. As a team, they went just six for 21 from three-point range (28.6 percent) with Morissette making five of those threes.
- The Falcons excelled shooting the long ball and knocked down 13 of their 33 three-point attempts (39.4 percent), including eight in the first half.
- Both teams got to the free throw line at a similar rate. Saint Anselm held a slight edge by shooting 13 for 16 (81.3 percent) at the charity stripe. Bentley went 12 for 18 (66.7 percent) at the foul line.
- Good ball movement was on display as the Falcons produced 20 assists on their 29 made field goals, while the Hawks totaled 17 assists on their 27 made baskets.
- Bentley controlled the glass with a 42-31 advantage in the rebounding battle. The Falcons grabbed 16 offensive rebounds in the game compared to just six offensive rebounds pulled down by the Hawks. Four players finished the game with five or more rebounds for the visitors.
- Saint Anselm held a narrow 34-32 edge in points in the paint. They also doubled up Bentley in fastbreak points, 14-7.
- A huge discrepancy in the matchup came on second chance points. The Falcons outscored the Hawks in that area, 18-3.
- Both teams committed 10 turnovers in the game. The Hawks held a 12-9 edge in points off turnovers.
- Defensively, Saint Anselm recorded six blocks and five steals, while Bentley posted four blocks and five steals. Davies led the Hawks with two blocks and two steals.
- The reserves made solid impacts for both teams and combined for 33 points in the contest. Together, Clarke and Roman scored 17 points as the only two Bentley substitutes, while Davies scored 11 of Saint Anselm's 16 bench points.
- The game featured only two ties and one lead change as the Falcons led for most of the afternoon. Bentley took the lead at the 14:46 mark of the first half and did not give it up. They held a 12-point lead at halftime and led by as many as 20 points early in the second half.
- Three players scored in double figures for Saint Anselm. Morissette finished with a game-high 28 points (11-20 FG, 5-11 3PT, 1-1 FT), while McCarthy added 12 points (4-7 FG, 4-5 FT). Archer led the Hawks with eight rebounds and five assists in addition to five points.
- Farrall led Bentley with 26 points (9-16 FG, 4-7 3PT, 4-5 FT) to go along with seven rebounds. McClure added 14 points (6-13 FG, 2-6 3PT), nine rebounds, and seven assists for the Falcons.
- This marked the 109th all-time meeting between these two programs. Saint Anselm falls to 54-55 overall against Bentley in the series that began in 1975.
STAY CONNECTED:
