Paul's 24 and late Hawks run quiets Skyhawks run

Burnett led the Skyhawks with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

EASTON, Mass. (February 5, 2022) – Saint Anselm College, among teams receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll and ranked No. 6 in the D2SIDA East Region poll, scored the final nine points of the contest to seal a 68-58 victory over Stonehill College in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium this afternoon. 

Leaders

Stonehill
Isaiah Burnett Senior, Guard: 17 points (8-for-19), 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots.
Owen Chose Fifth-year, Guard: 14 points (6-for-17), 5 rebounds.
Andrew Sims Senior, Forward: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, blocked shot. 

Saint Anselm
Chris Paul Senior, Forward: 24 points (7-for-13, 10-for-12 FTs), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals.
Gustav Suhr-Jessen Senior, Forward: Double-Double 11 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists.
Matt Becker Sophomore, Guard: 10 points (4-for-9, 2-for-4 threes), 8 rebounds.
Miles Tention Senior, Guard: 10 points, 4 rebounds. 

How it Happened

• Saint Anselm scored the final nine points of the game, over the closing 2:13, after Stonehill battled back from an 11-point deficit (58-48) after Tention split two free-throws with 4:43 to play to pull within a point (59-58) following a Chose three-pointer with 2:13 on the clock.
• Saint Anselm led or was on level terms for all but 3:15 in the contest that included six ties and eight lead changes throughout.
• A back and forth first half saw Saint Anselm hold a trio of four-point leads, but Stonehill scored seven straight points, including four by Burnett, to grab a three-point edge (25-22) after a free-throw by sophomore Emmanuel Bonsu with 3:16 remaining in the half.

• Chose added 14 points for his fifth-straight double-figure scoring game (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard)

  Saint Anselm would pull even at the break and then scored nine of the first 11 points in the second half to grab a seven-point cushion (36-29), keyed by back-to-back three-pointers from Tention and Becker.
• That fed an overall 14-4 Saint Anselm run in the opening four and half minutes that saw the visitors open a ten-point lead (41-31) following another Tention triple.
• Stonehill made its first push back to within a possession (43-40) as Sims capped a seven-point Skyhawks run with a hook shot inside with 12:27 to play.
• Saint Anselm outscored Stonehill 14-6, keyed by five points from Suhr-Jessen, over a seven-minute span to grab its game-high 11-point lead (59-48) with 4:43 remaining.
• Stonehill answered with the next ten points, including five by Bonsu, to pull within a point (59-58) after a Chose three with 2:13 still to play.
• However, the Skyhawks wouldn't score again and Saint Anselm scored the final nine points, including seven from Paul aided by 5-of-6 shooting at the free-throw line, to seal the win.
• A key moment came when Paul missed the front end of a one and one with 53-seconds remaining, but Stonehill was unable to pull down the rebound while trailing by four. The Skyhawks were forced to foul junior Tyler Arbuckle, who drained both of his free-throws to continue the Hawks on their way to victory.

Noteworthy

• Burnett led Stonehill in scoring for the fourth time this season, dropping their first game when doing so (3-1) as he scored in double-figures for the third straight game and 12^th time this season overall.
• Chose was the only other Skyhawk to join Burnett in double figures, doing so for the fifth-straight game and 14^th time this season overall (61^st career).
• Chose moved into 22^nd place on Stonehill's career scoring list with his 1,261 career points in 99 career games played.
• Stonehill limited a Saint Anselm team that shoots 44.6-percent from the field and averages 73.2 points per game mostly in check offensively. The Hawks finished shooting 40.4-percent (23-for-57) from the floor, including 7-for-22 (31.8%) from deep, and to just 27 first half points.
• The Skyhawks managed just 39.3% shooting (24-61), including 4-for-16 (25%) from three-point range.
• Saint Anselm took advantage of 11 offensive rebounds (compared to seven for the hosts) to outscore Stonehill 8-2 in second chance points, including key offensive boards down the stretch.
• Stonehill is in the midst of a dip of three-straight defeats and setbacks in 6-of-9.

Up Next

Stonehill (11-10, 7-8 NE10) will look to get back on track here at Merkert Gym on Tuesday as it hosts Franklin Pierce University at 7:30 p.m. Saint Anselm (13-5, 9-4 NE10) visits crosstown rivals Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

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