MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomore Candace Andrews (Boston, Mass.) poured in a game-high 31 points, including 17 over the final 12:26 to trim a 13-point deficit to two, but the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team fell to Saint Michael's College, 60-58, Wednesday evening at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
The Hawks dip to 7-15 on the season, including 5-12 in Northeast-10 play, while the Purple Knights improve to 10-12, 5-12 NE-10. There is now a four-way tie for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Northeast-10's Northeast Division between Saint Anselm, Saint Michael's, Southern New Hampshire University and Bentley University.
Andrews, who scored a total of 19 points in the second half, shot 13-for-26 from the field and 5-for-7 from the stripe, while tallying five rebounds, four steals and two assists. Andrews has dropped 20 or more four times in the last five contests, including a pair of 30-point games, and is averaging 23.4 points per game during that span.
Makenzie Burud led Saint Michael's with 18 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, while Megan Gaudreau added 15 points.
The lead changed five times over the contest's opening 3:15, with Maggie Sabine and Gaudreau draining back-to-back 3-pointers to power a 13-3 run that gave Saint Michael's a 19-10 lead with 11:50 remaining in the opening half.
Four straight points from junior Raquel Johnson (Inglewood, Calif.) later in the half shaved the Saint Anselm deficit to five, but six straight points from Burud sparked an 11-2 wave the widened the Saint Michael's advantage to its largest of the night at 34-20 with 5:58 left.
Three points from sophomore Kaila Duarte (Dorchester, Mass.) then jump-started a 12-3 counter-run that ended the half with the Hawks pulling within 37-32.
Gaudreau opened the second half with a 3-pointer that sparked a 12-4 run that stretched the Saint Michael's lead to 49-36 nearly six minutes into the second half. Andrews then went off, scoring 12 straight points to begin a 15-4 blitz that pulled the Hawks to within 53-51 with 6:49 to go.
Gaudreau again came up with a big trey to make it a two-score game and then Kelly Frappier added a pair of free throws to nudge the Purple Knights' lead to 58-51 with just under four minutes left. Baskets from Andrews and Duarte would help the Hawks climb back within three at 58-55 with 40 seconds left, but following a Saint Michael's turnover, Andrews would miss a look at a 3 to tie it and Frappier would drain another pair to make it a two-possession contest with 11 seconds left.
Andrews was fouled shooting a 3 with no time on the clock and sank the trio of free throws to bring the game to its final margin of two.
Freshman Ali Glennon (Bedford, N.H.) posted eight points (3-8 FG, 1-4 3-FG, 1-2 FT) and four rebounds, while Johnson finished with six points (2-6 FG, 2-2 FT), five boards and three assists. Duarte chipped in five points (1-5 FG, 3-6 FT), six rebounds and two blocks.
Saint Michael's outshot Saint Anselm, 43.4 percent (23-53) to 36.7 percent (22-60), including 35 percent (7-20) to 14.3 percent (2-14) from beyond the arc and 53.3 percent (16-30) to 38.7 percent (12-31) overall in the first half. The Hawks narrowly won the glass, 36-35, including a 15-9 advantage on the offensive side that led to a 13-5 gap in second chance points. Saint Anselm also turned it over 14 times, while forcing 18 Saint Michael's mistakes for an 18-14 edge in points off turnovers. The Purple Knights won the paint, 26-20.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1:30 p.m. when they take on Franklin Pierce University. The next home game for the Hawks is Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. when they play host to Merrimack College 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.
