Springfield, Mass. (January 24) - At Butova Gym on Saturday afternoon, the Saint Anselm women's basketball team dropped a 67-52 final to American International in Northeast-10 Conference play. The Hawks held a 27-25 lead heading into the halftime break before the Yellow Jackets rallied for the victory.

The first half started slowly as American International pulled out to a 16-14 lead with 5:58 left after a layup from Rhea Pascal. Two straight baskets by Justine Lyons (Reading, Mass.) and a jumper from freshman standout Megan Howard (St. Paul, Minn.) gave the Hawks the 20-16 advantage with 3:38 on the clock. The game was tied with 1:14 left in the half, but Saint Anselm took a 27-25 edge into the break after a pair of Lyons free throws with four seconds left in the opening half.

Freshman Katie Dorey (Burlington, Vt.) knocked down a three-pointer on the first possession of the second half as Saint Anselm had its largest lead of the game at five. Over the next seven minutes though, the Yellow Jackets clamped down with a 15-2 run to seize control of the game at 40-32. AIC pushed the lead to double digits midway through the half as the Yellow Jackets won their eighth straight contest over the Hawks. Saint Anselm continues to lead the all-time series by a 30-25 margin.

Lyons finished with a game-high 24 points while playing all 40 minutes, including an impressive 8-for-10 from the free throw line. Howard was the only other Hawk in double figures with 13 points and eight rebounds. Stacy Boisvert led the Yellow Jackets with 22 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line. Laechia Conley posted 10 points, along with a team-best seven rebounds and five assists.

With the loss, Saint Anselm falls to 3-15 overall and 1-12 in the Northeast-10, while American International has now won five straight to improve to 15-7 overall and 10-4 in the league. The Hawks are back in action on Wednesday, January 28th as the team hosts New Haven for a 5:30 p.m. start at Stoutenburgh Gym.