Press Release

CAHILL, HAWKS OUTGUN PURPLE KNIGHTS ON SENIOR DAY, 93-77 SMC’s Ben Smith tallies 1,000th career point in final home game of career FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      FOR MORE INFORMATION February 21, 2004                                                                      Contact: Seth Cole                                                                                                 Phone: (802) 654-2537 COLCHESTER, Vt. – Sophomore Matt Cahill (Bridgewater, Mass.) tallied a game-high 32 points, including six three-pointers, to lift Saint Anselm College to a 93-77 Northeast-10 Conference men’s basketball victory versus Saint Michael’s College in Senior Day action on Saturday at the Ross Sports Center. The loss, coupled with American International College’s win earlier in the day, eliminates Saint Michael’s from a postseason berth. Despite the loss, Purple Knights’ senior Ben Smith (Southport Island, Maine/Boothbay Region) became the 35th player in team history to reach the 1,000-point plateau with a three-pointer in the second half. Smith finished with a career-high 23 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the final home game of his career.    Cahill finished 11-of-17 from the field, including a perfect six-of-six as the Hawks pulled away in the second half. Classmates Jim Moore (Worcester, Mass.) and Darlington Okerulu (Jersey City, N.J.) added 23 and 18 points, respectively, as Saint Anselm (16-10, 13-8 NE-10) won its fifth straight contest. For the Purple Knights, senior Delbert Randall (Baltimore, Md./Calvert Hall) recorded 15 points and eight rebounds in his final home contest. Sophomore BJ Robertson (Burlington, Vt./Burlington) chipped in 10 points for Saint Michael’s (8-17, 5-16), which held a 39-34 rebounding edge, including 20-10 on the offensive boards. Saint Michael’s held its only lead of the contest in the game’s first minute, and pulled even for the last time at 6-6 on a pair of Randall free throws with 15:42 left in the opening stanza. The Hawks then went on a 31-14 run over the next 10 minutes to open up its biggest lead of the first half, 37-20, with 5:18 remaining. Saint Anselm took a 45-31 lead into the locker room, as the visitors held the Purple Knights to 31 percent shooting in the first period. The Hawks quickly sealed the victory by opening the second half on a 29-12 run to take a 74-43 lead with 11:52 to play. Cahill tallied four trifectas in the game-clinching run. Saint Michael’s made one last run to close within 82-62 with eight minutes left, as Smith notched his 1,000th point during the spurt. Saint Anselm increased its lead back to 25 points and, despite not scoring in the final five minutes, had enough to hold off the hosts. Saint Michael’s plays its final game of the season on Tuesday, as the Purple Knights visit league-rival Pace University for a 7:30 p.m. tilt. ###PURPLEKNIGHTS###

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