THE BASICS:

- Score: Saint Anselm 91, Assumption 83

- Records: Assumption (4-5, 1-5 NE-10) Saint Anselm (8-1, 5-1 NE-10)

- Location: Worcester, Mass. (Laska Gym)

- The Lead: On Wednesday night at Laska Gym, the Assumption College men's basketball team rallied to cut the lead down to six late before dropping a 91-83 final to visiting Saint Anselm College in Northeast-10 Conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

- Assumption came out strong to open the game as the Hounds led 13-7 just 4:32 into after a layup from sophomore Kamali Bey (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson). Saint Anselm answered with a 17-0 run over the next 3:52, capped by a three-pointer from Harrison Taggart, to jump out to a 24-13 lead nearly midway thru the half.

- The Hawks led by as many as 17 points over the first 20 minutes before taking the eventual 52-37 lead into the halftime break following a pair of late free throws from senior Mike McCahey. Junior Declan Soukup (Melbourne, Australia) led the Hounds with 11 points in the first half, while Taggart had a team-best 11 for Saint Anselm.

- Saint Anselm surged out to an 18-point lead with just 2:30 left in the game before Assumption came roaring back with a 12-0 run over less than a two-minute stretch. Trailing 87-72, the Hounds knocked down four straight three-pointers, capped by a three from senior Tre Owens (Rota, Spain/Rota) to make it 87-81 and force a Saint Anselm timeout. That was as close as the Hounds got as the Hawks came away with the eventual eight-point final.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

- Soukup led all scorers with 26 points as he was a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line. Overall, the Hounds were a perfect 16-for-16 at the free throw line. Owens posted 16 points, along with 15 from Bey and 10 from freshman Justin Tuckson (Stafford, Va./Christ Chapel Academy).

- For the game, the Hounds shot 43.5 percent from the field and connected on 13 three-pointers. Saint Anselm shot 56.7 percent overall from the field as five Hawks finished in double figures.

- McCahey led the team with 21 points, while Taggart had 19 points and a team-best eight rebounds. For the game, Saint Anselm outrebounded the Hounds by a 38-26 margin that included a 31-22 edge on the defensive glass.

UP NEXT:

- Assumption returns to action on December 19-20 as the Hounds host the two-day East Region Classic. Assumption takes on Holy Family on Saturday and Philadelphia University on Sunday as both games begin at 3 p.m. at Laska Gym.

STAY CONNECTED:

For the latest on Assumption College Athletics, follow the Hounds via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. For more information, contact the Office of Athletic Communications at 508-767-7240.

- Fans can also sign up for email updates and text message alerts for the men's basketball team and all of the other 23 Assumption varsity sports by clicking here.