Manchester, N.H. (January 6) -- Saint Anselm couldn't overcome an early second-half scoring run by Southern New Hampshire as the Hawks fell to the Penmen by a 75-62 final on Tuesday evening at the SNHU Fieldhouse.

Southern New Hampshire jumped out to a quick 15-4 lead just 5:51 in, capped by a layup from Alyssa Whitney (Somerville, Mass.). The Hawks answered back with a 16-9 run over the next 6:34 to close within four at 24-20 after a jumper from Megan Howard (St. Paul, Minn.). Saint Anselm stuck close and was within six after another Howard basket with 31 seconds left, but Whitney knocked down a three for the Penmen for the 35-26 halftime advantage. Howard and Jennifer Gureckis (Nashua, N.H.) led the Hawks in the first half with eight points, while Whitney put up a team-best 11 for the Penmen.

The Penmen started the second half on a 17-9 run to make it a 52-35 game with 11:15 remaining in the period. Led by nine points in four minutes from Justine Lyons (Reading, Mass.) and a pair of Howard baskets, the Hawks climbed back to within 12 at 58-46 with under seven minutes left. Another Lyons jumper off a Penmen turnover made it a 59-50 game with 5:56 remaining, forcing a timeout by SNHU head coach Karen Pinkos. The Penmen pushed the lead back to 13 points with 3:09 left before coming away with the victory.

The Hawks were led by 22 points each from Howard and Lyons, along with a 10-point effort from Gureckis. Howard also led the team with 10 rebounds, making it her eighth double-double of the season and her fifth in the last six games. SNHU had three players in double figures, led by a 16-point showing by Whitney.

With the loss, the Hawks fall to 3-9 on the season and 1-6 in the Northeast-10, while the Penmen improve to 8-5 overall and 3-5 in league play. Saint Anselm is back in action on Thursday night as the team travels to No. 4 Stonehill for a 5:30 p.m. start in Easton, Mass.