WORCESTER, MA – Host Assumption shot a blistering 60.0 percent (12-for-20) from the arc and 80.0 percent (20-form-25) from the foul stripe to hand The College of Saint Rose an 86-74 defeat in Northeast-10 Conference men's basketball action tonight.

Assumption got off to a 7-0 lead before Saint Rose rallied with a 14-5 jaunt to gain a brief 14-12 advantage following a trey by junior guard Jermaine Clark with 13:36 to go in the opening period. However, Assumption answered right back with a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Tobin Hasse.

The Golden Knights (2-4/1-3 NE-10) led only one more time when senior forward Josh Pelletier buried a shot from long range to make it 24-23 Saint Rose with 8:09 left.

Clark tossed in a season-high 24 points to pace Saint Rose. Senior forward Evan Lane had 12 points and six rebounds to go with three blocks, while freshman forward Sheldon Griffin finished with 10 points, behind 3-for-4 shooting, in only seven minutes off the bench.

Following Pelletier's 3-pointer, the teams traded baskets throughout the next two minutes at which time the Greyhounds (4-3/3-2 NE-10) took off on an 11-2 run that transformed a 28-26 lead into a 39-28 cushion with 1:43 to go. Junior guard Brian Ledbetter scored in the paint as the buzzer sounded to make it a nine-point ballgame, but Assumption put its footprint on the evening throughout the opening moments of the second half. The Greyhounds outscored the Golden Knights 14-4 during the initial four minutes to go up 19, 53-34, and Saint Rose got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.

Junior forward Savoy Fraine led six Assumption players in double figures with 19 points. Senior guard Mitch Bajema had 17 while fellow senior guard Greg Twomey contributed 15 points and nine assists. Sophomore forward Patrick Shea finished with 14 points, Hasse had 11 and sophomore guard Mike Baldarelli rounded out the sextet with 10.

Saint Rose returns home to face league rival Saint Michael's on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 3:30 pm. Meanwhile, Assumption heads to Easton, MA Saturday for a 3:30 pm conference date at Stonehill.

Box Score