SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Senior Tori Lehr (Cohasset, Mass.) poured in a career- and game-high 25 points, but the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team was edged by Le Moyne College, 55-54, Wednesday evening at Ted Grant Court.
The Hawks dip to 10-8 on the season, including 6-7 in Northeast-10 play, while the Dolphins jump to 10-7, 6-5 NE-10.
Lehr knocked down a career-best 12 of the 24 shots she took and made her only free throw attempt, while pulling down nine rebounds. Freshman Candace Andrews (Boston, Mass.) also finished in double figures with 10 points (3-8 FG; 4-4 FT).
Alex Marple paced Le Moyne with 22 points.
Saint Anselm trailed by three with less than 17 seconds left when they let a trio of shots fly and grabbed a pair of offensive boards before senior Briana Jones (White Plains, N.Y.) snatched the third and put back the layup to cut it to one with under two seconds on the clock. Le Moyne was able to inbound the ball and run out the remainder of the time to escape with the victory.
Jones tallied nine points (3-8 FG; 3-4 FT), five assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals.
The Hawks began the contest with a balanced 10-0 run that featured four different scorers, including Andrews, who contributed four points. The Dolphins hit right back with a 13-2 counter run, however, that gave them their first lead of the night at 13-12 with 9:45 remaining in the opening half. Emily Greer hit for five points during the stretch, while Marple added four.
Senior Allie Jones (So. Kingstown, R.I.) and Lehr answered with baskets that put the Hawks back in the lead, but a 9-2 run from Le Moyne – with four different scorers kicking in points – put the hosts on top, 22-18, with 5:25 left.
Senior Kierra Moore (Albany, N.Y.) buried a 3-pointer and Briana Jones knocked down one of two at the line to tie the game at 22-all with 3:36 to play. The teams then traded scores three times, with Lehr sinking a jumper with two seconds on the clock to knot the game at 28 heading into the break.
The opening of the second half featured three lead changes and a pair of ties before Lehr singlehandedly powered an 8-2 run that gave Saint Anselm a 43-38 lead with 8:35 to go in the contest. Le Moyne responded with a 14-4 stretch – with 10 points from Marple – that put them in front at 52-47 with just under a minute to play.
After the teams traded points, Lehr provided a huge three-point play that sliced the Saint Anselm deficit to 54-52 with 22 seconds on the clock. Marple would then make one of two at the line five seconds later to set up the whirlwind ending.
Allie Jones chipped in seven points (3-5 FG; 1-1 FT) and four boards.
Le Moyne narrowly outshot Saint Anselm, 40 percent (18-45) to 39.3 percent (22-56) and visited the line twice as much as it went 17 of 20 from the stripe, while the Hawks were 9-for-10. Despite only turning the ball over 12 times and forcing 17 Dolphin mistakes, the Hawks were outrebounded, 35-28, which led to a 21-13 margin in second-chance points for the hosts. Saint Anselm owned a 32-26 advantage in the paint.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Jan. 25 at 1:30 p.m. when they continue their four-game road stint against top-ranked Bentley University. The next home game for the Hawks is Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. when they play host to crosstown-rival Southern New Hampshire University at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, including game previews and recaps, directly from the Saint Anselm College athletic department by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter @STAHawks.
