COLCHESTER, Vt. - Eight players hit three-pointers to send the Saint Michael's College men's basketball team past Chestnut Hill College, 87-58, during its season opener on Monday at the Ross Sports Center. The Purple Knights received votes toward the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) preseason national poll.
RECORDS
- Saint Michael's (1-0), Chestnut Hill (0-1)
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
- Senior Latiek Briscoe Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y./Saint Francis Prep/Saint Edward's), 14 points, 3 steals, 7-for-11 field goals
- Junior Coleman Hopson (Montclair, N.J./The Newman School/AIC), 12 points, 5-for-8 field goals, 2-for-4 three-pointers
- Junior Greg Kenney (Williston Park, N.Y./The Frederick Gunn School/LIU), 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 3-for-4 field goals, 5-for-5 free throws
- Senior TJ Henaghen (Hampden, Maine/Williston Northampton School), 10 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4-for-9 field goals, 2-for-5 three-pointers
- Sophomore Amadou Fall (Bronx, N.Y./Millbrook School/Lincoln), 9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 4-for-8 field goals, 16 minutes, team-high +32
- Sophomore Dior Kennedy (Coatesville, Pa./Hargrave Military Academy/New Haven), 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-for-8 field goals
- Sophomore Rudolfs Svitins (Riga, Latvia/Riga Komercskola/Yavapai), 7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
- Junior Pax Heitsch (Camas, Wash./Union/Peninsula), 8 rebounds
- Junior Deacon Woodgate (Cohasset, Mass./Boston College HS), 2 assists
OPPONENT LEADERS
- Sophomore Amari Dow, 18 points, 7 rebounds
- Sophomore Bralyn Smith, 11 points, 5-for-8 field goals
GAME FACTS
- Saint Michael's held a 52-34 rebounding lead while dishing off 19 assists to only 10 turnovers. The hosts also held sizeable leads in points off of turnovers (16-8) and in the paint (44-20) while shooting 48.6% to Chestnut Hill's 35.3%. The Purple Knights made 40.7% (11-for-27) of their three-point tries against the Griffins' 25.0% (7-for-28) showing.
- Eight different Purple Knights hit at least one three-pointer while the top eight scorers netted between six and 14 points.
- Seven student-athletes made their debuts wearing Purple and Gold, combining for 45 points, 30 rebounds, 11 assists and five blocks while draining eight three-pointers.
- The Purple Knights improved to 3-1 in the all-time series, as the teams met for the first time in the Ross Sports Center since Dec. 20, 2015. Saint Michael's earned its first home win over the Griffins since Nov. 20, 2009.
THE ACTION
- Dow's five points helped Chestnut Hill forge a 13-6 lead by 13:31 of the opening half, but Saint Michael's made seven of its next nine shots, using an 18-1 run that took 4:44 to elapse. Henaghen, Kenney and Svitins all hit threes, with back-to-back triples 46 seconds apart by Henaghen extending the lead to 27-16.
- Between Kenney's free throws at 13:06 and Hopson's trey with 1:34 to go, the Purple Knights outscored the Griffins, 36-7, thanks to 13-of-18 shooting, including 5-for-6 from beyond the arc. The hosts led 42-20 before taking an 18-point lead into halftime.
- The visitors came no closer than 17 points in the second stanza, and the hosts put the game out of reach with a 14-0 run that featured scoring only from Hopson (5), Kenney (5) and Briscoe (4), whose lay-up made it 64-33 at 13:10. Saint Michael's pushed its lead to a game-high 38 on three occasions.
NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME
- Friday at No. 15 Daemen University, 7 p.m. during the East Region Challenge.
- The Wildcats, who won the 2026 NCAA East Regional Championship while advancing at least as far as the regional semifinals for the third straight year, received their national ranking in the NABC preseason poll.
