WORCESTER, Mass. - The 18th-ranked Saint Michael's College men's basketball team lost to Assumption University, 94-80, on Saturday during Northeast-10 Conference play in Laska Gymnasium.
 
The Purple Knights, who remained first in the NE10 standings, were 18th in this week's D2CSC national poll while receiving votes toward the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national rankings. The visitors were also second in the latest D2CSC East Region poll, drawing one first-place vote.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (12-3, 8-1 NE10), Assumption (8-7, 4-5 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Darrel Yepdo (Dracut, Mass./Brooks School), 30 points (career high), 2 steals, 11-for-20 field goals, 5-for-9 three-pointers, 3-for-3 free throws
• Senior Romar Reid (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Woodstock Academy/Manhattan), 15 points, 5 assists, 2 steals, 5-for-6 free throws
• Junior CJ Crews (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian School), 12 points, 5 rebounds, 6-for-7 free throws
• Sophomore Alan Brzezinski (Örebro, Sweden/Western Reserve Academy), 11 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 4-for-8 field goals, 3-for-7 three-pointers
• Sophomore Nolan Marold (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Brewster Academy/Loyola Chicago), 9 points, 3 assists, 4-for-7 field goals

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Graduate student Kasey Draper, 46 points, 8 rebounds, 17-for-27 field goals, 6-for-9 three-pointers, 6-for-7 free throws
• Graduate student Kani Glover, 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 6-for-10 field goals, 3-for-7 three-pointers
• Sophomore Daouda Dembele, 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 5-for-11 field goals
• Graduate student Alex Carlisle, 8 points, 6 assists

GAME FACTS

• Saint Michael's was off to its best NE10 start since 2000-01, when it began the year 10-0.
• The teams played for the 99th time, with Assumption grabbing its 59th win.
• Yepdo scored 22 points in the second half alone.

THE ACTION

• Three different Greyhounds scored during a 6-0 start en route to Assumption leading by seven points early, but Crews' three-pointer at 13:22 of the opening half trimmed the deficit to 14-12.
• Draper scored the first six points of an 11-2 response, and his jumper with 5:32 to go pushed the Greyhound advantage to 37-19.
• Draper knocked down a three at 44 seconds to send the hosts into halftime up 48-33, and Glover put home a lay-up for the initial bucket of the second half, pushing the lead back to 17.
• Saint Michael's scored the next 13 points in a 2:39 spurt, as three players knocked down threes, including Yepdo, who netted five of the points.
• Another Yepdo triple had the Purple Knights within 55-51 at 13:09, but Dembele's three with 9:21 left capped a 10-2 surge by the Greyhounds, giving them a 12-point edge.
• Yepdo knocked down a three of his own at 7:57 to cap a 6-0 counter, and a Yepdo lay-in at 5:29 still had his team within 73-66.
• Saint Michael's came no closer, as the final 4:35 featured 32 points, including 15 free throws. Dembele and Draper each scored nine Assumption points in that closing stretch.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Tuesday at American International College, 7:30 p.m.