Box Score
COLCHESTER, Vt. – The Saint Anselm College women's basketball team had their nine game winning-streak snapped at the hands of Saint Michael's College by a score of 63-60 on Saturday afternoon in Northeast-10 Conference action in Colchester, Vt.
The Hawks fall to 16-7 overall and 12-7 in the NE-10, while the Purple Knights improve to 8-15 and 4-14 in conference games.
Four players scored in double-figures for Saint Anselm as Samnell Vonleh (Swampscott, Mass.) led the way with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds to go with a pair of blocks. Raquel Johnson (Inglewood, Calif.), Candace Andrews (Boston, Mass.), and Caitlyn Abela (North Easton, Mass.) scored 12 points apiece. Kaila Duarte (Dorchester, Mass.) had four points, five rebounds, two steals, and four blocks off the bench.
Indira Evora led Saint Michael's with 19 points and three steals, while Makenzie Burud had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Saint Anselm won the rebounding battle 40-35, while both teams committed 11 turnovers apiece. The Hawks shot 37.5% (24-of-64) from the field, while Saint Michael's hit 43.3% (26-of-60) of their shots on the day.
The Purple Knights jumped out to an early 8-2 lead to start the game, and the Hawks eventually cut the deficit to 10-9 following a jumper from Johnson with 3:21 to play in the opening quarter. Aliyah Smith (Medford, N.Y.) connected on a jumper and Vonleh followed with a score inside to put the Hawks on top 13-10. Abela knocked down a three for the final basket of the quarter to give Saint Anselm a 16-10 advantage after one period.
Back-to-back baskets from Johnson and Vonleh extended the lead to 20-12 and two Vonleh free throws at the 7:35 mark gave Saint Anselm a 22-12 lead. Saint Michael's eventually made it a 28-25 game with a jumper from Lyric Blanch, but a 7-0 run from the Hawks gave the visitors a 10-point lead at 35-25 with 2:08 remaining in the half. The Purple Knights answered with a 7-2 run of their own to end the period, and the game entered the half with the Hawks on top 37-32.
The Hawks scored the first two baskets of the third quarter, but a 14-0 run from the home team capped off by a Burud triple gave Saint Michael's a 46-41 lead and forced a Saint Anselm timeout with 4:48 to play in the third period. Saint Michael's scored the next two baskets out of the timeout to make it a 50-41 lead, and Candace Andrews ended the run with a layup, before the Hawks entered the final quarter trailing 52-45 after a pair of Duarte free throws in the closing seconds of the period.
After a back-and-forth start to the fourth quarter, Ali Glennon (Bedford, N.H.), Duarte, and Johnson converted three-straight baskets to make it a 56-53 game. Leah Spencer gave the Purple Knights a 60-55 lead with a jumper, but Abela canned a triple that cut the deficit to only 60-58 with 1:08 remaining.
The two teams traded stops on defense, but Saint Anselm was forced to foul in the final 10 seconds of the game. Indira Evora went 2-for-2 at the charity stripe to make it a 62-58 game, but Andrews answered on the other end to keep it a two-point game. With only four seconds remaining, the Purple Knights went 1-for-2 at the free throw line and Raquel Johnson secured a defensive rebound with the clock winding down and the Hawks down three. Saint Anselm pushed the ball up the floor, but could not get off a shot in the closing seconds as Saint Michael's defeated the Hawks, 63-60.
Saint Anselm will host Stonehill College on Wednesday night in a 5:30 p.m. NE-10 matchup.
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