COLCHESTER, Vt. - Three players scored exactly 23 points to help the Saint Michael's College men's basketball team defeat American International College, 88-78, on Tuesday evening during Northeast-10 Conference play in the Ross Sports Center.
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (6-15, 2-11 NE10), AIC (3-18, 2-11 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior CJ Crews (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian School), 23 points, 15 rebounds (career high), 3 assists, 2 steals
• Junior Nolan Marold (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Brewster Academy/Loyola Chicago), 23 points (career high), 9-for-10 field goals
• First-year Rico Byrd (East Moline, Ill./The Kiski School), 23 points (career high), 9-for-12 field goals, 3-for-5 three-pointers
• Redshirt first-year Marcus Meeks (Prairie Village, Kan./Brewster Academy), 8 points in 12 minutes, 3-for-6 field goals
• Redshirt first-year Greg Kenney (Williston Park, N.Y./The Frederick Gunn School/LIU), 8 points, 2 steals
• Senior Jacob Duniver (Fredericksburg, Va./Woodstock Academy), 5 rebounds, 3 assists

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Justice Ellison, 23 points, 10-for-22 field goals
• Junior Jack Hall, 15 points, 11 rebounds, 5 offensive rebounds
• First-year Coleman Hopson, 14 points
• Senior Tyrae Washington, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 4 offensive rebounds
• Senior Lovre Zaja, 9 assists, 6 rebounds

GAME FACTS

• Saint Michael's had not seen three players score at least 23 points in the same game since at least the 1980-81 season.
• The teams met for the 109th time since their first contest in 1935.
• Crews had a double-double by halftime, with 12 rebounds in addition to 10 points, for his third double-double in the past five games.
• The teams combined for only 15 turnovers in the game, while Saint Michael's held a key edge at the charity stripe, shooting 18-for-23 on free throws to AIC's 9-for-10.

THE ACTION

• Marold netted 11 early points in helping the Purple Knights lead 24-15 by the time 12:37 remained in the opening half.
• Hopson and Ellison knocked down three-pointers 19 seconds apart to spark a go-ahead 22-9 stretch, which Hall capped with a triple at 5:51 to give AIC a 37-33 lead.
• Hopson's floater still had his team up 41-37 at 2:56, but Marold hit a free throw before Meeks netted the final four points of the half, and the hosts led 42-41 at halftime.
• The lead changed hands four times in the opening 4:25 of the second stanza, with Byrd scoring seven straight points to put his team in front for good, and Marold capping a 9-0 run with a lay-up at 13:46 (55-48).
• After AIC cut its deficit to 57-53, the Purple Knights used a 13-4 run to pull away. Crews scored eight of the points, and the visitors never trailed by fewer than nine points down the stretch.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Saturday at Southern Connecticut State University, 3:30 p.m.