Manchester, N.H. (December 30) -- On Day Two of
the Saint Anselm Holiday Classic, Saint Anselm and Franklin Pierce
swept the competition for the second straight day at Stoutenburgh
Gym. The Hawks defeated Dominican by a 52-47 final, while the
Ravens rolled past Mercy, 87-55.
Saint Anselm 52, Dominican 47
Led by a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double by sophomore
Megan Howard (St. Paul, Minn.), Saint Anselm held
off a furious Dominican rally in the final minutes to come away
with a 52-47 win and run its win streak to three straight.
In the first half, the two teams traded the lead a number of
times and it was Dominican that led by nine with 5:38 left on a
three from Kaity Lent (Vineland, N.J.). The Hawks
came alive though with a 10-1 run, capped off by a buzzer-beating
jumper from Jen Gureckis (Nashua, N.H.), and sent
the game into the halftime break tied at 28.
In the second period, Saint Anselm pushed the lead to 12 points
at 44-32 midway through the half and was in control of the game.
Over the next six minutes though, the Chargers had other ideas and
after a 13-2 run, the lead was down to 46-45 with 4:22 left after a
jumper from Rachelle Sainten (Spring Valley,
N.Y.). Gureckis drained a three as the shot clock expired
on the next possession, but Sainten answered again for Dominican
and kept it a one-possession game. Three late free throws sealed
the win for the Hawks though as they evened the all-time series
with Dominican at 1-1.
Howard led the Hawks with 15 points and 10 boards, along with 11
points by Gureckis and 10 points and eight assists from
Epiphany Smith (Springdale, Ark.). Sainten led all
scorers with 19 points, while Marley Klunk (York,
Pa.) led Dominican with 10 rebounds.
Saint Anselm is now 4-6 overall, while Dominican has dropped two
straight and sits at 6-5 on the season.
Franklin Pierce 87, Mercy 55
Led by 28 points from senior All-American Johannah
Leedham (Ellesmere Port, England), No. 2 ranked Franklin
Pierce pulled away for an 87-55 win over Mercy College on Wednesday
evening. Despite shooting 56.7 percent from the field in the first
half, Franklin Pierce couldn't pull away from the Mavericks and
midway through the first half, Mercy pulled within three at 20-17
following a jumper from Simone Williams (Waldorf,
Md.). Leading by six points with 3:01 left in the first
half, the Ravens closed the period on a 10-0 run and led by a 44-28
margin at the break.
The Ravens pushed the lead to as many as 39 points in the second
half before coming away with the 32-point victory. Leedham led all
scorers with a tournament-best 28 points, to go along with five
rebounds, four assists and five steals. In addition,
Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, R.I.) finished with 13
points and five assists and Kirsten Doldoorian (Brimfield,
Mass.) posted 11 points and three steals. Ashley
Borofsky (Southington, Conn.) had 15 points for Mercy,
while Delmara Reece (Yonkers, N.Y.) finished with
a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.
The Ravens are now a perfect 10-0 overall, while Mercy drops to
3-7 on the season.
All-Tournament Team
Rachelle Sainten - Dominican College
Ashley Borofsky - Mercy College
Johannah Leedham - Franklin Pierce University
Tori Ahrens - Franklin Pierce University
Megan Howard - Saint Anselm College
Epiphany Smith - Saint Anselm College
