MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomore Tori Lehr (Cohasset, Mass.) poured in a career-high 19 points, but the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team was edged, 47-46, on a last-second shot by Franklin Pierce University on Saturday afternoon at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on Senior Day.
The Hawks drop to 13-12 on the season, including 7-12 in Northeast-10 play, while the Ravens improve to 16-7, 13-6.
Lehr knocked down a career-best nine shots on 12 attempts, including the first 3-pointer of her career, while filling out her line with five rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist. Senior Megan Howard (St. Paul, Minn.) was also in double figures with 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the floor and 2 of 3 shooting at the line, while adding four boards, three assists and a steal.
With the game tied at 45 with 39 seconds on the clock in regulation, sophomore Meg Morrissey (So. Kingstown, R.I.) sank a free throw to put the Hawks on top by a single point. On the ensuing possession, however, Marielle Giroud banked in a layup off the glass from straightaway with five seconds remaining and Franklin Pierce went up, 47-46. The Hawks quickly inbounded, but Morrissey's long 3-point attempt missed the mark and the Ravens escaped with the win.
Morrissey chipped in six points, two rebounds and an assist for the Hawks.
Franklin Pierce led 6-2 early on, but after the Ravens stretched their lead to 10-5 with 11:40 to play in the opening half, the Hawks reeled off a 10-0 run – with six points from Lehr – and grabbed a 15-10 advantage with 7:25 remaining.
With the margin still five later in the half, Kate McDonald hit a 3-pointer to slice the deficit to a pair with 39 seconds left. Howard would then close the first-half scoring with a layup with 11 ticks on the clock and the Hawks took a 19-15 lead into the locker room.
Howard would push the Saint Anselm lead to six – 27-21 – with a layup 4:35 into the second half. After a Tiffany Johnson jumper cut the deficit to four later in the half, a 3-pointer by sophomore Kierra Moore (Albany, N.Y.) and a basket from Lehr opened the lead to 36-27 with 11:14 to go.
The Ravens would answer with eight straight points, however, including five from Jewel White, to trim the Saint Anselm lead to one at 36-35 with 9:18 on the clock. The lead would alternate between one and three points until Lehr's trey made it 45-41 with 2:23 to play. A Giroud layup cut it back to a pair just 19 seconds later before White's basket tied it at 45 with 1:13 remaining.
Saint Anselm outshot Franklin Pierce, 48.8 percent (20-41) to 35.3 percent (18-51), including 42.1 percent (8-19) to 20 percent (5-25) in the first half. The Ravens held a 22-18 edge in the paint, as well as a 12-5 advantage on the offensive glass, which led to a 10-2 margin in second-chance points. The overall rebound battle was even at 27 apiece.
White and Giroud both recorded double-doubles with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and 13 points and 10 boards, respectively.
Prior to the game, the Hawks honored their three-member senior class of Howard, Epiphany Smith (Springdale, Ark.) and Sarah Craft (Lawrence, Kan.). Smith, who suffered a season- and career-ending knee injury Jan. 5, suited up for the first time since then and drew her final start in a Hawks uniform. Smith attempted a 3-pointer that was more than halfway down and rimmed out, before she was subbed out to a standing ovation with 19:17 remaining in the first half.
The Hawks return to action Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 5:30 p.m. when they wrap up their home slate by playing host to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell at Stoutenburgh.
