MANCHESTER, N.H. – Junior Raquel Johnson (Inglewood, Calif.) scored a game-high 20 points, but the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team dropped a 75-67 decision to American International College on Saturday afternoon at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
The Hawks fall to 6-13 on the season, including 4-10 in Northeast-10 play, while the Yellow Jackets improve to 12-10, 7-7 NE-10.
Johnson shot 9-for-16 from the floor and made both of her free throws, while also collecting four rebounds and handing out four assists. Sophomore Caitlyn Abela (No. Easton, Mass.) netted 12 points (4-17 FG, 4-13 3-FG) to go along with five rebounds. Freshman Ali Glennon (Bedford, N.H.) posted 11 points (3-10 FG, 1-7 3-FG, 4-4 FT) and eight rebounds, while sophomore Aliyah Smith (Medford, N.Y.) chipped in 11 points (4-4 FG, 2-2 3-FG, 1-2 FT) and three boards.
Krista Ferrentino produced a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds for AIC, while Alyssa Roach added 17 points.
Saint Anselm began the game on a 17-6 run – highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers from Abela and another from Smith with the shot clock winding down to cap it – over the opening 10:52. The Yellow Jackets responded with a 16-0 counter-run that featured seven different scorers and opened up a 22-17 advantage with 5:10 remaining.
After the Hawks whittled the deficit to just one, AIC pushed it back to four with a 3-pointer from Brianna Bishop, but Glennon buried a 3 of her own to pull Saint Anselm within 29-28 with 1:52 on the clock. Roach converted a layup to make it a three-point game with 17 seconds to go, but Smith came up big again as she connected on another trifecta with under 10 seconds to play and the teams went into the break tied at 31.
Four straight points to open the half for sophomore Kaila Duarte (Dorchester, Mass.) gave the Hawks the lead, but AIC would answer back with four straight to tie the game for the first of three times over the opening five-plus minutes of the second half. With Saint Anselm in front by two, a 10-2 stretch – with four points from Ferrentino and three from Roach – gave the Yellow Jackets a 49-43 lead with 10:39 remaining.
A 7-0 Saint Anselm run – capped by an Abela trey – put the hosts back on top, 50-49, with 9:03 left. That would be the Hawks' last lead of the day, however, as five points from Roach powered a 13-2 wave that opened up a double-digit lead for AIC at 62-52 with just under six minutes to go.
Saint Anselm would cut it to five with 1:24 left, but the Yellow Jackets would make six of their seven free throws down the stretch to hold off the Hawks.
Duarte finished with eight points (2-5 FG, 4-4 FT) and nine boards, while sophomore Candace Andrews (Boston, Mass.) chipped in five points (2-10 FG, 1-2 FT), five assists and three steals.
AIC outshot Saint Anselm, 41.8 percent (28-67) to 38.1 percent (24-63), including 35.3 percent (6-17) to 26.9 percent (7-26) from long distance. Free throw shooting was nearly even, with the Yellow Jackets holding a slight edge, 81.3 percent (13-16) to 80 percent (12-15). AIC won the glass (43-35) and the paint (36-32), had a better assist-to-turnover ratio (13/11-10/13) and held a 20-4 gap in second chance points.
The Hawks return to action Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m. when they take on crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire. The next home game for the Hawks is Saturday, Feb. 7 at 1:30 p.m. when they play host to Bentley University at Stoutenburgh. 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.
