MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomore Tori Lehr (Cohasset, Mass.) and senior Epiphany Smith (Springdale, Ark.) each scored 10 points as the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team erased a nine-point deficit with under 10 minutes to play to capture a 45-39 victory against the College of Saint Rose on Tuesday evening at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
The Hawks win their second straight game to improve to 9-4 overall, including 3-4 in Northeast-10 play. The 9-4 start is the program's best since the 1998-99 season. The Golden Knights drop to 8-4, 5-3 NE-10.
Lehr netted her career-best 10 points on 5 of 9 shooting to go along with four rebounds. Smith made eight of her 10 attempts at the free throw line and added a pair of assists and two steals.
Trailing by nine with 9:14 to play in regulation, the Hawks ripped off a 14-0 run over the following 3:09 to take the lead for good. Junior Curran Leighton (Dover, N.H.) sparked the run with a jumper before a pair of free throws and a layup by Smith cut the deficit to three. Sophomore Vanessa D'Ambrosi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) sank a pair at the line to shave it to just a point before she nailed a jumper at the 7:03 mark to give the Hawks the lead for good at 33-32. Saint Anselm closed the run with consecutive baskets by Lehr that pushed the lead to five with 6:05 remaining.
The teams would trade baskets over the next four possessions before two Smith free throws gave the Hawks their largest lead of the night at 43-36 with 2:58 to play. Saint Rose would close to within four with six seconds left, but Smith would hit two more at the stripe to seal the victory.
Leighton finished with six points on 3 of 7 shooting and also ripped down a career-high 14 rebounds.
The game was tight through most of the opening half with five ties and four lead changes. Knotted at 12 with 5:20 to go, the Golden Knights would score five straight points before a pair of Smith free throws closed the first-half scoring and sent the teams into the locker room with Saint Rose on top, 17-14.
The Golden Knights came out of the break on an 8-2 run and grabbed their largest lead of the contest to that point at 25-16 just 5:14 in. Sophomore Ashley Viselli (Groveland, Mass.) would cut it to seven with a jumper and after Ashley Rath pushed it back to nine with a jumper of her own, Viselli drained a trey to cut it to six. Saint Rose went up eight on a jumper by Maria Sanchez at the 12:02 mark, but despite running the lead back to nine with 9:30 on the clock, the Golden Knights went without a field goal over the following 6:17 as the Hawks made their run.
Senior Megan Howard (St. Paul, Minn.) posted five points and eight boards to go along with two steals.
The Hawks were outshot 31.8 percent (14-44) to 30.8 percent (16-52), but held a 42.3 percent (11-26) to 33.3 percent (8-24) advantage in the second half. Saint Anselm owned the paint by a 22-6 margin and handily won the battle on the glass, 43-27.
Rath led all scorers with 11 points.
The Hawks return to action Thursday, Jan. 5 at 5:30 p.m. when they play host to Saint Michael's College at Stoutenburgh.
