Men's Basketball

The Saint Anselm men's basketball team travels to Worcester, Mass., on Thursday as the ninth-seeded Hawks take on fifth-seeded Assumption in the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. This is the sixth time the two teams have met in NE-10 Tournament play, with the Hawks holding a 3-2 edge in the first five meetings.

How They Got Here: Saint Anselm advanced to the semifinal round with an improbable 88-85 upset of top-seeded Bentley on Tuesday night, ending the Falcons' two-year run as Northeast-10 Tournament champions. The Hawks and the Falcons have combined to win the last four league tournaments. Junior captain Greg Vetrano (Andover, Mass.) exploded for a career-high 27 points, including five three-pointers, while also dishing out six assists. Sophomore captain Thomas Baudinet (Watertown, Conn.) also poured in 17 points, including a trio of three-pointers. The Hawks fell behind by nine points in the second half, but roared back behind two threes from sophomore Pat Luptowski (Keene, N.H.) within a 16-second span. Junior Giovanni Carenza (East Hanover, N.J.) knocked down a pair of free throws in the final moments to seal the win. The victory snapped a 12-game home postseason winning streak for the Falcons dating back to 2006. That was also a defeat at the hands of Saint Anselm as the Hawks came away with a 96-82 overtime rout of the Falcons, en route to its second-straight league tournament crown.

All-Time Series: Saint Anselm and Assumption will be meeting for the 111th time in the all-time series, with Saint Anselm holding a 58-52 advantage over the Greyhounds. One of the oldest rivalries in Northeast college basketball, the Hawks and Greyhounds have also met five times in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. Saint Anselm holds a 3-2 lead in those games, including most recently with a 93-73 win in the 2004 tourney.

Hawks vs. Assumption in the Northeast-10 Tournament
1988: Assumption 73, Hawks 69
1992: Hawks 85, Assumption 78
1998: Assumption 93, Hawks 73
2000: Hawks 73, Assumption 62
2004: Hawks 93, Assumption 73

Uncharted Territory: With the win over Bentley on Tuesday night, the Hawks became the first No. 9 seed to advance to the Northeast-10 Tournament semifinal round. Three No. 8 seeds had pulled off the feat previously, including most recently by Stonehill in 1999. The other two were Springfield College in 1987 and Bentley in 1986.

Keep on Truckin': With the Hawks' 88-85 win over No. 19 ranked Bentley University, the top seed in the Northeast-10 Tournament, Saint Anselm advanced to the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Tournament for the 16th time. This ties the Hawks with the Falcons for the most all-time in league history. Bentley was attempting to become the first team to win the league tournament for a third straight season.

Hawks vs. the Regional Top-10: Saint Anselm has now beaten four teams ranked among the most recent NCAA East Region Top-10 after the victory over the Falcons. Previously, the Hawks knocked off UMass Lowell (#3), Bridgeport (#6) and Bloomfield (#8). All of those victories came at home. The Falcons are also the first nationally-ranked team that the Hawks have defeated this season.

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.

A Look Ahead to Saturday: The winner of the Saint Anselm/Assumption game will take on the winner of the Southern New Hampshire/Le Moyne game in the Northeast-10 Championship Game on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Saint Anselm has never faced Southern New Hampshire in a Northeast-10 Tournament, while the Hawks have taken on Le Moyne three times in the league tournament. The Hawks are 1-2 in those games, including a 75-70 loss in Syracuse last season in the quarterfinals.

Saint Anselm has appeared in the league final 10 times, winning the championship on seven occasions. The Hawks have won back-to-back league championships twice, including most recently in 2005 and 2006.

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.