Men's Basketball Drops Tight Contest to Saint Anselm

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Being down at halftime 45-32, the Thomas Jefferson University men's basketball team (4-2) fought all the way back to take the lead with 41 seconds to go, but a foul beyond the three point line gave the Hawks three free throw attempts, converting all of them. A last second shot did not fall in favor of the Rams as they dropped their non-conference match to Saint Anselm College (3-2) in Saturday afternoon competition. 

WHAT HAPPENED 

• Justin Hawkins started the game off with six straight points, hitting a three pointer and converted on his and-one for a Rams early lead 

• Hawkins added two more points along with teammates Sean Fullerton and Jeremiah Dorsey to have their lead at 12-5 five minutes into the game 

• Saint Anselm bounced back to tie the game at 18-18. Jefferson saw Shane Cercone add points alongside Hawkins and Fullerton 

• The Hawks began to go down the quarter and hold control of the game, outscoring the Rams 27-14. Saint Anselm shot 54.5% on the court in the first half while Jefferson was 39.3% on the floor. 

• Saint Anselm kept their momentum early in the second with a 11-7 run that had Erik Oliver-Bush make a three for the Hawks 

• Rams slowly started to chip away at the lead, seeing Miller hit free throws, Farouk Kaba get his layup up, and Dorsey connecting from beyond the arc to trail by 10 

• Jefferson eventually tied it up at 68-68 on a 19-9 run, in due part to 10 of Fullerton's 16 points on the day during that stretch. Kaba made the tying shot from three 

• After two Sean McCarthy free throws, Dorsey put the Rams up for the first time since the first quarter with a three pointer, making the game 71-70 with 41 seconds in the game 

• A crucial foul from beyond the arc by Jefferson saw Josh Morisette hit all three attempts at the charity stripe to put the Hawks back ahead 73-71 

• Dorsey's last second shot failed to get in the basket, seeing the Rams drop their second game this season 

TEAM STATS 
FG: 28-of-68 (41.2%) 
3PT: 7-of-21 (33.3%) 
FT: 8-of-10 (80.0%) 

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE 
Justin Hawkins: 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting (1-2 3PT), 4-5 FT, 8 rebounds, 2 assists 
Sean Fullerton: 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting (1-3 3PT), 4 rebounds, 2 steals 
Ashton Miller: 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting, 3-4 FT, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals 
Jeremiah Dorsey: 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting (3-7 3PT), 3 assists, 2 steals 

UP NEXT 
Jefferson will take the week off and enjoy their break as they prepare for a non-conference game inside the Gallagher Center on Sunday, December 1 at 2 p.m. when the Rams faceoff against the College of Staten Island.