SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The 22nd-ranked Saint Michael's College men's basketball team committed only six turnovers while knocking down 13 three-pointers en route to a 73-59 win over American International College on Tuesday evening in Butova Gymnasium. The Purple Knights remained first in the Northeast-10 Conference standings.
 
Saint Michael's is ranked 22nd in this week's D2CSC national poll while receiving votes toward the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national rankings. The Purple Knights are also third in the D2CSC East Region poll, claiming one first-place vote.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (13-3, 9-1 NE10), AIC (5-11, 3-7 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Romar Reid (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Woodstock Academy/Manhattan), 15 points, 4 assists, 6-for-13 field goals
• Junior Jacob Duniver (Fredericksburg, Va./Woodstock Academy), 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5-for-11 field goals, 4-for-9 three-pointers
• Sophomore Nolan Marold (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Brewster Academy/Loyola Chicago), 13 points, 11 rebounds, 5 offensive rebounds, 4 assists, 9-for-10 free throws
• Junior Jhamyl Fricas (Lawrence, Mass./Worcester Academy/Connors State), 10 points, 4-for-6 field goals, 2-for-3 three-pointers
• Sophomore Alan Brzezinski (Örebro, Sweden/Western Reserve Academy), 9 points, 3-for-6 three-pointers
• First-year TJ Henaghen (Hampden, Maine/Williston Northampton School), 5 rebounds

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Justice Ellison, 18 points, 6 rebounds, 8-for-10 free throws
• Senior Jalen Jordan, 18 points, 4 offensive rebounds, 8-for-10 free throws
• Sophomore Aguibou Balde, 8 points, 9 rebounds

GAME FACTS

• Saint Michael's committed only two first-half turnovers while finishing with six for the game, matching its fewest since recording four versus Stonehill College on Feb. 7, 2015. The Purple and Gold also committed only six giveaways on Feb. 21, 2017, at Stonehill.
• The Purple Knights shot 13-for-29 (44.8%) from three-point range to AIC's 5-for-17 (29.4%) effort from deep, good for a 24-point edge from beyond the arc.
• Marold turned in his fourth double-double of the season, and third in the last seven games.
• Thanks to action around the league on Tuesday, the Purple Knights now have a two-game cushion for first place in the NE10.
• In their 106th meeting since 1935, the Purple Knights picked up their 60th series victory.

THE ACTION

• Marold's four points keyed the Purple Knights' 10-4 start by 17:31 of the opening half.
• After Ellison dropped a pair of buckets in a tying 6-0 run, Reid and Fricas knocked down threes 39 seconds apart, and the visitors extended their lead to 28-15 at 7:02 when four players scored in a 10-0 run.
• Duniver canned a three to give his team a half-high 15-point lead at 36-21 with 2:45 to go, and the visitors took a 39-27 lead into halftime.
• Sophomore Kanye Wavezwa hit a triple at 16:50 of the second half to bring the Yellow Jackets within 46-37, but Duniver scored five points in an 8-2 spurt that pushed the lead back to 54-39. First-year Sebastian Andersson's (Stockholm, Sweden/Korrespondensgymnasiet/Eastern Washington) putback at 10:57 gave Saint Michael's a game-high 61-44 lead.
• Ellison hit a pair of freebies to bring AIC within 10 points at 3:26 and 2:34, but Reid and Marold both connected on two free throws in the final 59 seconds to ice the victory.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Saturday vs. Adelphi University, 3:30 p.m.
• The Panthers were ninth in this week's D2CSC East Region poll.
• The Purple Knights host a Coaches vs. Cancer event that day.