Press Release

PURPLE KNIGHT MEN EDGED BY SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, 62-57 SMC falls to 1-2, opens Northeast-10 Conference schedule on Sunday at Stonehill   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      FOR MORE INFORMATION November 22, 2005                                                                    Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                 Phone: (802) 654-2537 COLCHESTER, Vt. – A furious second-half rally fell just short as Saint Michael’s College lost to Saint Thomas Aquinas College, 62-57, in non-conference men’s basketball action on Tuesday at the Ross Sports Center. For the Spartans, sophomore Willis Kettrell (Rosedale, N.Y.) led the way with 17 points, connecting on 7-of-9 shots from the field. Senior Chris Butler (Ballymena, Ireland) added 12 points and seven rebounds as Saint Thomas Aquinas (2-1) shot 50 percent from the field and outrebounded the Purple Knights, 43-30. For the Purple Knights, sophomore James Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I./Saint Raphael Academy) led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points and four assists. Junior Chris Cayole (Burlington, Vt./Rice Memorial) added 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds and three steals, while senior BJ Robertson (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) and sophomore Brian Monahan (Kinderhook, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) tallied 10 points apiece. Saint Michael’s (1-2) shot just 31 percent from the floor in the contest to fall in its home opener. Saint Michael’s struggled offensively for much of the contest. The Purple Knights shot just 25 percent in the opening 20 minutes, including 1-of-11 from 3-point territory, to fall behind by 18 at intermission, 37-19. The Spartans stretched their lead to a game-high 21 points, 50-29, with just 7:30 remaining in the contest, as the Purple Knights were 10-of-48 from the field at that point in the game. The hosts refused to go down quietly, however, as Saint Michael’s went on a 17-2 run over the next 3:30 to close to within 52-46 with 4:04 left in regulation. A Cayole 3-pointer with 1:27 remaining cut the Purple Knights’ deficit to 58-54, and a trifecta from Monahan with eight seconds left trimmed the margin to 60-57. However, Saint Michael’s was unable to stop the clock in the waning seconds, and a Butler layup with one second to go sealed the win for Saint Thomas Aquinas. Saint Michael’s returns to action on Sunday, as the Purple Knight men and women open their Northeast-10 Conference schedule at Stonehill College, with the women’s game at 1:30 p.m. and the men’s contest at 3:30 p.m. Saint Michael’s next home basketball games are Wednesday, November 30, as the Purple Knight women host league-rival Bentley College at 5:30 p.m., and the Saint Michael’s men host the Falcons at 7:30 p.m. For box score, click here.  ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

For more information please contact the SMC Sports Information Office at (802) 654-2537
Last Revised: October 25, 2002