MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomores Tori Lehr (Cohasset, Mass.) and Briana Jones (White Plains, N.Y.) scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, but the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team dropped a 59-48 decision to crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday evening at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
The Hawks, who saw their two-game winning streak snapped, fall to 12-10 on the season, including 6-10 in Northeast-10 play. The Penmen improve to 17-5, 12-4 NE-10.
Lehr shot 7-for-13 from the field, while tallying four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Jones was 2-for-3 from the floor and a perfect 8 of 8 at the line to go along with three rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists.
The Hawks jumped out to an early 7-2 lead after senior Megan Howard (St. Paul, Minn.) converted a three-point play with 14:49 remaining in the opening half. The lead was seven at 13-6 with 10:55 left when SNHU used a 12-2 run – with five points from Victoria Wiseman – to grab its first lead of the night at 18-15 with 8:10 on the clock.
The Penmen still led by three at 22-19 when they scored the final six points of the half to take a 28-19 lead into the break.
SNHU did not let up to begin the second half, either. After Lehr hit a jumper to open the scoring, the Penmen scored 12 straight points – sparked by a Sloane Sorrell three-point play and followed by treys from Brooke Springfield, Christine Duffy and Michelle DeRoma – to open up a 40-21 lead just 2:40 into the half.
After a Duffy layup gave the Penmen their largest lead of the contest at 49-27 with 12:08 remaining, the Hawks used a 5-0 spurt to slice the lead to 17. The Hawks trailed by 19, 54-35, when a 3-pointer by sophomore Kierra Moore (Albany, N.Y.) sparked an 11-3 run that trimmed the deficit to 11 at 57-46 with 2:37 to play. That was as close as the Hawks would get, however, as Sorrell and sophomore Meg Morrissey (So. Kingstown, R.I.) traded hoops to close the scoring.
Moore tallied seven points, three assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block, while Howard also netted seven points to go along with a pair of boards and a steal.
SNHU outshot Saint Anselm, 57.5 percent (23-40) to 42.5 percent (17-40), including 53.8 percent (7-13) to 40 percent (2-5) from behind the arc. The Penmen also held small advantages on the glass (20-18) and in the paint (24-20).
Sorrell led the Penmen with 17 points.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1:30 p.m. when they hit the road to take on Bentley University. The next home game for the Hawks is Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1:30 p.m. when they play host to Franklin Pierce University on Senior Day at Stoutenburgh.
