THE BASICS:
- Score: Saint Michael's 69, Assumption 67
- Records: Saint Michael's (1-5, 1-3 NE10), Assumption (1-6, 0-4 NE10)
- Location: Colchester, Vt. (Ross Sports Center)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Saint Michael's opened the game on a 9-2 run, though a pair of triples from Matthew Kelly (North Potomac, Md. / Quince Orchard) and a Nick Pasquale (Shrewsbury, Mass. / Worcester Academy) layup gave Assumption a 10-9 advantage at 13:09. The Purple Knights extended their lead to 16-10, before another Hound run tied it up at 18 apiece midway through the period.
- The two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes and Assumption pulled within two, 29-27, on a three-point play by Pasquale with 5:59 left. Saint Michael's stretched its lead to nine, 38-29, with a run and went into the break leading 42-35.
- Assumption scored the first ten points of the second half, taking a 45-42 lead with 16:06 left in regulation. The Purple Knights answered with a three to tie it and the two teams were still even at the midway point.
- Leading by just two, Saint Michael's scored five straight to grab a 63-57 lead with 4:27 left. However, Assumption answered with the next six, including three free throws from Kelly to tie the contest with 1:56 remaining. The Purple Knights took back the lead, though a Branislav Vujadinovic (Belgrade, Serbia / St. Joseph) with 36 seconds left cut the deficit to 68-67.
- The Hounds fouled with 14 seconds left and Saint Michael's missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Assumption grabbed the rebound and after a timeout set up one final play. Kelly's driving layup was just off and a go-ahead tip-in missed as well. Saint Michael's got the rebound, was fouled and hit one more free throw with less than a second left to seal the win 69-67.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Assumption shot 42.9 percent from the floor and was an impressive 11-for-27 from downtown while making all eight of their free throws. The Purple Knights, meanwhile made 50.0 percent of their attempts and were 8 of 19 from beyond the arc. The Hounds held a slight 33-30 edge in rebounding.
- Kelly led the team with 19 points and two rebounds while Joe Sullivan (Utica, N.Y. / Notre Dame HS / Mohawk Valley CC) added ten points, seven boards and two assists. Vujadinovic was also in double figures with 14 points and seven rebounds.
- Patrick Fleming (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. / Iona Prep) chipped in seven points, eight assists and five rebounds while Pasquale finished with five points, five rebounds and five blocks.
- Levi Holmes III led Saint Michael's with 26 points, six rebounds and five assists.
UP NEXT:
- Assumption returns to action on Saturday when the team travels to play Southern New Hampshire at 4:00 pm.
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