Bridgeport, Conn. (December 21) - Despite
knocking down nine three-pointers in the first half, the Saint
Anselm women's basketball team came up short in a 79-70 loss to the
University of Bridgeport on Friday evening at the Harvey Hubbell
Gymnasium. The Purple Knights outscored the Hawks by a 25-4 margin
from the free throw line to key the victory.
Saint Anselm got off to a quick start with a pair of
three-pointers each from senior Rachel Reilly (Londonderry,
N.H.) and sophomore Erin Higgins (Mansfield,
Mass.) as the Hawks were out in front by a 14-9 margin
with 12:57 left in the opening half. The Hawks pushed the lead all
the way into double digits at 24-14 with 9:25 following another
Reilly trifecta before Bridgeport embarked on a 9-0 run over the
next 3:37 to close within 24-23. After a three-pointer from
freshman Katie Larkin (Goffstown, N.H.) ended the
run to put the Hawks back up by four, Bridgeport took just its
second lead of the game at 28-27 on a layup by Sidney
Parsons (Chandler, Ariz.). The two teams traded threes to
make it 31-30 in favor of the Purple Knights before Higgins knocked
down her third long ball in as many tries to give the Hawks a 33-31
edge with just 1:03 left in the period. A putback by Mary
Hulgraine (County Kildare, Ireland) with 28 seconds on the
clock sent the game into the half tied at 33-33. The Hawks shot a
remarkable 81.8 percent from three-point land, knocking down
9-of-11 from beyond the arc. Both teams shot 50 percent overall
from the field.
In the second half, neither team led by more than five points
for the first 18 minutes of the half before Bridgeport closed off a
14-4 run to go up 72-63 with just 1:13 remaining after a pair of
free throws from Monique Ross (Auckland, New
Zealand). The Hawks got back within six at 72-66 following
another Reilly three-pointer, but would get no closer as the Purple
Knights pulled out the victory to make the all-time series 6-3 in
favor of Saint Anselm.
The Hawks tied the all-time single-game school record with 12
three-pointers on the evening, led by five long balls from Higgins,
as she finished the game with a game-high 20 points. Reilly was
also in double figures with 19 points, knocking down 4-of-7 from
behind the arc. Bridgeport had five players in double figures, led
by 14 points from Siobhan Moore (Glasgow,
Scotland).
With the loss, the Hawks fall to 3-6 overall on the season,
while Bridgeport improves to 4-5 overall. The Hawks are back in
action next weekend at the Bryant Holiday Tournament, where the
Hawks will take on Caldwell and NYIT in non-conference action.
