MANCHESTER, N.H. - The 24th-ranked Saint Michael's College men's basketball team defeated Saint Anselm College, 73-69, on Saturday during Northeast-10 Conference play in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium, earning its first win there in 15 years. By virtue of Adelphi University's loss, the Purple Knights extended their first-place lead in the NE10 to two games. They were 24th in this week's D2CSC national poll and second in the regional rankings.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (15-4, 11-2 NE10), Saint Anselm (8-11, 6-7 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Romar Reid (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Woodstock Academy/Manhattan), 35 points (career high), 3 steals, 7-for-10 free throws
• Sophomore Darrel Yepdo (Dracut, Mass./Brooks School), 22 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 9-for-19 field goals
• Sophomore Nolan Marold (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Brewster Academy/Loyola Chicago), 8 points, 9 rebounds, 4-for-9 field goals

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Fifth-year Tyler Arbuckle, 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-for-14 field goals
• Senior Matt Becker, 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 4-for-9 three-pointers
• Sophomore Josh Morissette, 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, 6-for-14 field goals
• Junior Sean McCarthy, 12 points, 5 rebounds, 5-for-7 field goals

GAME FACTS

• Yepdo recorded his second straight double-double after doing so in points and assists at Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday. He (17) and Reid (20) combined to scored 37 of the Purple Knights' 44 second-half points, and 57 of their 73 for the game.
• The Purple Knights are 7-2 at home and 8-2 on the road, as they lead all NCAA East Region teams in true road victories.
• Saint Michael's swept a regular-season series from Saint Anselm for the first time since 2008-09, earning its initial victory in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium since Feb. 21, 2009.
• The Purple and Gold committed only five turnovers, its fewest since recording four versus Stonehill College on Feb. 7, 2015.
• The visitors shot 53.3% in the second half to finish with a game advantage of 43.3%-40.6%.

THE ACTION

• Arbuckle's jumper at 14:28 of the opening half gave the Hawks a 13-9 edge, the first two-possession lead by either team, and Becker buried a three at 12:34 to push the lead to 18-13.
• Yepdo converted a three-point play and Reid a lay-in during a tying 5-0 run before Reid's back-to-back buckets gave Saint Michael's a 27-25 edge by 6:09.
• Three Hawks scored in a 6-0 jaunt that gave them a 31-27 lead with 1:07 left, and the hosts slowly built a two-point halftime edge into a 44-34 advantage on Arbuckle's triple at 15:40 of the second stanza.
• Reid and Yepdo both scored nine points in a 20-4 response, pushing the Purple and Gold ahead by a 54-48 count on Yepdo's lay-up at 11:13.
• After Saint Anselm closed its deficit to 58-57 with 7:33 left, Yepdo hit a triple 11 seconds later to spark a 7-0 run that Reid capped with the final four points. The Purple Knights pushed their advantage to a game-high nine at 69-60 on junior CJ Crews' (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian School) three with 4:56 left.
• Morissette wrapped a three-pointer and a mid-range jumper around a pair of Arbuckle free throws as Saint Anselm edged within two points with 1:09 left, but Reid knocked down a critical three of his own with 38 seconds to go. The Hawks missed their next shot, and Reid hit a free throw at 25 seconds to make it a two-possession game.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Tuesday vs. regionally-ranked Southern New Hampshire University, 7:30 p.m.
• The Penmen were 10th in this week's D2CSC East Region poll.