MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomore Candace Andrews (Boston, Mass.) hit a go-ahead jumper with 5.1 seconds left to propel the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team to a 53-51 victory against Merrimack College on Wednesday evening at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
The Hawks improve to 8-16 on the season, including 6-13 in Northeast-10 play, and keep their postseason hopes alive as they are locked in a three-way tie for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Northeast Division. The Warriors, who are sitting in fourth, fall to 12-12, 8-11 NE-10.
Junior Raquel Johnson (Inglewood, Calif.) led the way for the Hawks with a game-high 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-4 FT) to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Andrews netted 12 points (6-18 FG) dished seven assists, made four steals and collected four rebounds. Sophomore Caitlyn Abela (No. Easton, Mass.) was also in double figures and narrowly missed out on a double-double as she registered 10 points (3-8 FG, 3-5 3-FG, 1-2 FT) and nine boards.
Chloe Rothman and Allison Wagner led Merrimack with 12 points apiece.
Aside from the 35 seconds it took the Hawks to score the game's first points, they led for the entire contest until Ashley Weissmann sank a right-baseline jumper with 19.9 on the clock to tie the game at 51-all. Saint Anselm did not call time out as Andrews brought the ball up, dribbled inside halfcourt until about the 10-second mark when she slowly dribbled toward the top of the key, drove hard to her left, jump-stopped through traffic down to the baseline and faded away as she let the shot go and it found the bottom of the net with 5.1 on the clock.
Rothman pushed the ball up the court with Andrews bothering her and threw up a half-court heave that fell short as time expired.
Saint Anselm narrowly outshot Merrimack, 37.5 percent (21-56) to 36.2 percent (21-58), including 44.4 percent (4-9) to 28.6 percent (6-21) from beyond the arc. The Hawks also made more free throws (7) than the Warriors attempted (6) and held a 42-36 advantage on the glass. The painted area and turnover situation were virtually dead even, while Merrimack won the battle of the benches, 22-0.
The Hawks came soaring out of the gate, scoring the first 15 points over the opening 4:49 – including seven from Abela – as part of a 19-2 blitzing to open the contest. Merrimack responded with six straight points from Cassie Amenta to slice the deficit to 11, but four straight points from Johnson later in the stanza sparked an 8-0 run that opened the Saint Anselm advantage to a game-high 20 points at 31-11 with 2:58 remaining. Merrimack closed the frame with a 6-0 run that pulled it within 31-17 at the break.
A three-point play from Johnson less than a minute into the second half moved the margin to 15 at 34-19 and then with the gap at 14 three minutes later, five straight points from Rothman sparked a 10-3 stretch that helped the Warriors climb within seven at 43-36 midway through the half.
Baskets from Andrews and Johnson halted the run, but six points from Wagner powered a 15-4 rush that knotted the game at 51 with 19.9 on the clock and set up Andrews' heroics.
Sophomore Kaila Duarte (Dorchester, Mass.) posted six points (3-11 FG), 12 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and an assist, while freshman Ali Glennon (Bedford, N.H.) chipped in seven points (2-6 FG, 1-3 3-FG, 2-5 FT) and four boards.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Feb. 21 at 1:30 p.m. when they take on Assumption College. The next and final regular-season home game for the Hawks is Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m. when they play host to Stonehill 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.
