Manchester, N.H. (January 22) -- An 11-0 run midway through the second half rallied Merrimack past Saint Anselm by a 74-64 final on Tuesday night in women's basketball action at Stoutenburgh Gym.

Saint Anselm started the game with a 9-0 outburst, capped by a three-pointer from Erin Higgins (Mansfield, Mass.), forcing the Warriors to call a timeout. Merrimack finally got on the board nearly seven minutes into the game on a pair of free throws from senior Kara Borelli (Westbrook, Maine). After hitting their first field goal of the game with 11:57 left in the first period, the Warriors pulled back within four before the Hawks stretched the lead back to six at 16-10. Merrimack suddenly roared to life though with three straight trifectas to take its first lead at 19-18 with 6:42 left, forcing Saint Anselm head coach Chris Leazier to take a 30-second timeout.

After the game was tied up three times over the next four minutes, Saint Anselm used seven points from senior Cassaundra Thorpe (Portsmouth, N.H.) to close the half on a 7-0 run for the 33-26 lead. Merrimack started the half with 14 straight missed field goals and ended the half shooting just a 21.9 percent from the field in the half. Higgins led the Hawks with 10 points in the half,while sophomore Casey Miller (Fairbanks, Alaska) was the leading scorer for Merrimack at eight points.

In the second half, the visitors closed to within two points over the first 10 minutes and eventually took the lead at 53-52 on a three-pointer from Amanda Shannon (North Andover, Mass.), the team's leading scorer. The Warriors continued to push and with 4:44 remaining, expanded the lead to seven at 59-52 after an 11-0 run spanning 3:43, forcing another Hawk timeout. Thorpe stopped the scoring run briefly with a layup at 3:41 for the first Saint Anselm points in nearly five minutes before the Warriors answered with a three-pointer from Sarah Benischek (Shrub Oak, N.J.) for the 62-54 lead with 3:14 left. The Hawks pulled within seven points with one minute remaining, but could get no closer in the final moments.

Three Hawks finished in double figures, led by 16 points each from Thorpe and sophomore Justine Lyons (Reading, Mass.). Higgins also finished in double figures with a 13-point evening.  Five Warriors led a balanced scoring attack, led by 14 points by Borelli as Merrimack shot over 60 percent in the second half for the win.

With the loss, the Hawks fall to 5-14 overall and 2-12 in the Northeast-10, while Merrimack improves to 6-14 overall and 2-12 in league play after its first road win of the year. Saint Anselm is back in action on Saturday afternoon as the Hawks host No. 22 ranked Assumption for a 1:30 p.m. start at Stoutenburgh Gym.