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Josh Morissette takes three against Daemen in East Region Championship
Jarod Minassian
73
St. Anselm SA 25-8,14-4 NE10
94
Winner Daemen Daemen 33-1,16-0 ECC
St. Anselm SA
25-8,14-4 NE10
73
Final
94
Daemen Daemen
33-1,16-0 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Anselm SA 41 32 73
Daemen Daemen 43 51 94

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball’s NCAA Tournament Run Ends in East Region Championship Versus No. 1 Daemen

AMHERST, N.Y.  – The No. 3-seeded Saint Anselm College men's basketball team had its historic season come to a close in the East Region Championship against the No. 1 seed, Daemen University, on their home court of Lumsden Gymnasium, 94-73, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Championship.
 
Highlights 
  • Saint Anselm finishes 25-8, improving on last season's win total by 10 games, as they become the first Hawk team to make the East Region Final since 2019.
  • Saint Anselm is now 1-6 against Daemen all-time, losing five straight to the Wildcats, with this being the first postseason meeting between the two programs.
  • The Hawks are now 2-6 all-time when reaching the regional final of the NCAA tournament and fall to 20-30 all-time in NCAA postseason play.
  • Saint Anselm eclipsed 25 wins this season for just the fourth time in the program's 87 years of history, reaching the mark for the first time since 2019.
  • Senior Josh Morissette ends his collegiate career with a program record 119 three-pointers made, leading the Hawks with 19 points, going 5-11 from three with a team-high three steals, earning a spot on the East Region All-Tournament Team.
  • Morissette also finishes with the highest free-throw percentage in program history, finishing 263-299 (88.0%), as well as the second-best single-season free-throw percentage in program history at 90.3% (112-124).
  • Junior Jack Medalie scored 15 points with five rebounds, two assists, and two steals and earned a spot on the East Region All-Tournament Team for his impressive play in the past three games.
  • Sophomore Will Davies scored 10 points and had a team-high five assists and two blocks in 39 minutes.
  • Davies' historic season comes to an end, finishing second all-time for the Hawks in minutes in a single season at 1,186 and eighth all-time in assists per game in a season at 7.1.
  • Freshman Edward Onyia scored 14 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds with an assist and a steal.
How it Happened
The Hawks started the game on a 10-2 run, with threes from Medalie and Morissette fueling the hot start for Saint Anselm. Daemen responded quickly, scoring the next 12 points to take a 14-10 lead. The lead continued to see-saw with five changes in the half, and sophomore Paulius Rapolis threw down an open dunk to put the Hawks back up one, 28-27.

ECC Player of the Year Zach Philipkoski found holes in the Hawks' defense, scoring 20 first-half points as he was the catalyst for a Daemen run that put them up by seven, 42-35, with under three minutes left in the half. The Hawks ended the half strong, pulling within two points, 43-41, going into the locker room.

Davies started the second half with a quick layup to tie the score at 43-43, but the Wildcats stiffened on defense, catapulting to an 11-point advantage, 61-50. Daemen's lead doubled after Philipkoski knocked down three consecutive threes, pushing the Wildcats lead to 22, 73-51.

Daemen led the rest of the way, closing out the win, 94-73.
Up Next
The Saint Anselm men's basketball team (25-8, 14-4 NE10) finishes its historic season as Northeast 10 Conference Champions, Regular Season Champions, and NCAA Tournament East Region Finalists.

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