Manchester, N.H. (February 3) -- Southern New Hampshire shot nearly 60 percent from the field in the second half to rally from a 25-21 halftime deficit as Saint Anselm dropped a 58-54 final to the visiting Penmen on Wednesday night at Stoutenburgh Gym.

The Hawks, led by 11 first-half points from sophomore guard Epiphany Smith (Springdale, Ark.) and 45.8 percent shooting from the field, built a 25-21 halftime lead over the Penmen. Saint Anselm led by as many as seven points at 19-12 midway through the period and held the Penmen to 22.2 percent shooting in the opening period.

The two teams traded the lead back and forth five times in the first 11 minutes of the second half before the Penmen took a 40-39 lead on a layup by Megan Spanarkel (Tinton Falls, N.J.). SNHU quickly built the lead to six before a Hawk rally tied thinkgs at 45-45 with 3:59 lead on a pair of Smith free throws. Jenny McDade (Derry, N.H.) gave the visitors the lead for good though just 19 seconds later and the Penmen came away with the victory. The win is the sixth straight for SNHU in the all-time series, which Saint Anselm leads by a 37-13 margin.

Smith led the Hawks with 22 points, including five three-pointers, to go along with six assists. Sophomore Megan Howard (St. Paul, Minn.) also finished in double figures with a 10-point showing.

Ashara Carrington (Marblehead, Mass.) led the Penmen with 15 points, along with 10 points from Christine Duffy (South Boston, Mass.).

With the loss, Saint Anselm falls to 8-13 overall and 5-11 in Northeast-10 play, while the Penmen improve to 11-12 overall and 7-9 in the league. Saint Anselm is back in action on Saturday, February 6th as the Hawks travel to Merrimack for a 1 p.m. start. That game is available live online through this week's "PackCast", producted by the Northeast-10 Conference and the Pack Network.