MANCHESTER, N.H. – Sophomores Caitlyn Abela (No. Easton, Mass.) and Candace Andrews (Boston, Mass.) combined for 43 points to lead the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team to Thursday evening's 78-64 victory against crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire University at the SNHU Fieldhouse.
The Hawks win for the third time in five games to improve to 7-13 on the season, including 5-10 in Northeast-10 play. The Penmen, meanwhile, dip to 10-12, 4-11 NE-10. The win gives Saint Anselm the regular-season sweep of SNHU, as well as crucial points in the battle for the Queen City Cup.
Abela, who scored 18 in the second half, dropped a game-high 22 points (9-16 FG, 2-7 3-FG, 2-2 FT) to go along with seven rebounds. Andrews tallied 21 points (9-18 FG, 3-6 FT), six rebounds, six assists, four steals and a blocked shot. Freshman Ali Glennon (Bedford, N.H.) netted 14 points (5-10 FG, 2-4 3-FG, 2-2 FT) to go along with three rebounds and two steals, while sophomore Kaila Duarte (Dorchester, Mass.) posted 10 points (5-7 FG) and eight boards.
Vic Wiseman paced the Penmen with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Trailing 9-5 nearly six minutes into the game, the Hawks reeled off a 9-2 run – highlighted by a 3-pointer from Glennon – to grab a 14-11 advantage with 11:50 remaining in the opening half.
SNHU answered with an 8-2 counter-run, which featured the first five points from Wiseman and put the Penmen back in front, 19-16, midway through the stanza. The Hawks hit back with an 8-3 stretch – with four points each from Andrews and Duarte – to re-take the lead at 24-22 with 8:09 left.
Saint Anselm was up, 30-28, when seven straight points from SNHU gave it a 35-30 lead with 2:22 on the clock. Another Glennon 3-pointer sparked a 7-2 spurt, however, that ended the half and sent the teams into the locker room tied at 37.
Abela snapped the tie with a 3-pointer in the first 22 seconds out of the locker room and wound up contributing seven points during a 9-0 run that gave the Hawks the lead for good at 46-37 just 3:16 into the second stanza.
Four points from Wiseman powered a 7-2 run that pulled the Penmen within 48-44 just over two minutes later, but a three-point play from Andrews and another trey from Abela eventually widened the gap to eight at 54-46 with 13:50 remaining.
SNHU again whittled its deficit to four, but six straight points from the Hawks stretched their lead to double digits at 62-52 with 10:31 left. With the margin at eight, four points each from Andrews and Abela buoyed a 10-0 blitz that put the game away and gave Saint Anselm its largest lead of the night at 76-58 with 2:35 to go. The Penmen would score six of the game's final eight points to close the gap.
The Hawks outshot the Penmen, a season-high 54.2 percent (32-59) to 39.7 percent (25-63), including 36.4 percent (4-11) to 18.8 percent (3-16). SNHU outrebounded Saint Anselm, 36-33, including 15-8 on the offensive end for a 21-7 advantage in second chance points, but the Hawks won the paint (38-32) and turned it over just 11 times, while forcing 15 SNHU mistakes for an 18-9 margin in points off turnovers.
The Hawks return to action Saturday, Feb. 7 at 1:30 p.m. when they play host to Bentley 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.
