Men's Basketball

On Saturday afternoon, the Saint Anselm men's basketball team hits the road to Springfield, Mass., to take on the American International Yellow Jackets in the first round of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. The game is the third meeting between the two schools this season, with each team winning on its home floor. This weekend's game is the 111th all-time meeting between the two teams, with Saint Anselm holding a 66-44 advantage in the series. In the last 10 meetings, Saint Anselm holds the 6-4 edge.

The Hawks enter the postseason at the No. 9 seed in the league tournament for the third straight season. Saint Anselm fell to Le Moyne in the first round a year ago, while defeating Franklin Pierce on the road in the 2006-2007 season.

On November 30th, Saint Anselm was led by junior Greg Vetrano (Andover, Mass.) with 17 points as the Hawks defeated the Yellow Jackets at Stoutenburgh Gym by a 74-64 final. On January 23rd, the Yellow Jackets got revenge with an 86-83 overtime victory at Butova Gym. Sophomore guard Thomas Baudinet (Watertown, Conn.) led the Hawks with 27 points in the game.

Family Affair: Saturday's opening-round game is the third meeting of the season between Saint Anselm sophomore guard Pat Luptowski (Keene, N.H.) and his father, American International head coach Art Luptowski. In the previous two games, Pat is averaging 12 points and five rebounds per contest vs. the Yellow Jackets, while knocking down a pair of three-pointers in each game.

Going the Extra Mile: Saint Anselm has gone to overtime four times this season, including in the regular-season finale vs. Saint Rose. The four overtime games this season is a Saint Anselm single-season record. The Hawks are 1-3 in overtime contests in ‘08-‘09, including an overtime setback at AIC earlier this year.

A Look Ahead at the Quarterfinals: The winner of this first-round matchup will face Bentley University, coming off its third-straight Northeast-10 regular-season title. The Falcons, the two-time defending NCAA Northeast Region champs, started the season slowly before rebounding and claiming yet another NE-10 regular-season crown. The Falcons will host the quarterfinal matchup on Monday night, March 2nd.

Al Grenert Court at Stoutenburgh Gym: On Saturday, February 21st, the Saint Anselm Department of Athletics dedicated the basketball floor at Stoutenburgh Gym as Al Grenert Court. Al Grenert was the head coach of the Saint Anselm men's basketball program from 1949-1971, picking up over 300 wins during his 22-year career. The court now features a pair of eight-foot wide logos bearing Grenert's name.