Springfield, Mass. (January 19) -- On Saturday afternoon, the Saint Anselm women's basketball team dropped a 57-43 final to American International in Northeast-10 play at Butova Gym.

The first half started off slow as the first points weren't scored until the 16:38 mark as Saint Anselm senior Cassandra Loftus (Nashua, N.H.) scored on a jumper to put the Hawks up 2-0. The Hawks led 5-1  before a 9-0 AIC run put the Yellow Jackets in front at 10-5 with 10:52 remaining. Saint Anselm rallied with a 7-0 spurt, capped by a jumper in the lane by Justine Lyons (Reading, Mass.), and regained the lead briefly at 12-10 midway through the period. After the teams traded baskets, the Yellow Jackets held the Hawks to just two points over the final three minutes of the half and it was AIC who held the 25-19 halftime advantage. Lyons led the Hawks with six points in half, while Alexis Castro (Chula Vista, Calif.) led the Yellow Jackets with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the period.

In the second half, the Yellow Jackets quickly pushed the game to double digits at 33-23 with 14:59 left in the half. Saint Anselm answered with 12-2 run, capped by a Loftus jumper, and the Hawks were within four at 35-31 with 11:52 remaining. The Yellow Jackets stretched the lead to 15 points at 50-35 and knocked down their free throws in the final minutes to account for the 57-43 final.

Saint Anselm was led by eight points from sophomore Courtney May (Lakeville, Mass.), while the Yellow Jackets were paced by a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double from Castro as she 10-of-18 from the field with five three-pointers.

Saint Anselm drops to 5-13 overall and 2-11 in the league, while the Yellow Jackets improve to 10-6 overall and 7-5 in league play. The Hawks are back in action on Tuesday evening, hosting Merrimack for a 5:30 p.m. start at Stoutenburgh Gym.