ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Taking on the reigning NCAA Division II East Region Champions, the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team downed the nationally-ranked Wildcats from Daemen College on Thursday, opening the season with a 75-70 victory.

Playing in the team's first official intercollegiate game in 614 days, Saint Anselm improves to 1-0 on the young season. The Hawks claimed the 2019 NCAA Division II East Region Championship and, after the canceled 2020-21 campaign, saw Daemen (0-1) take the regional title in 2021.

The Wildcats entered play as the No. 8 team in the nation, according to the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) and were also ranked No. 20 by the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association National Poll. Saint Anselm has now downed a nationally-ranked opponent in three consecutive seasons.

Sophomore Gabby Turco (Wildwood, N.J.) made her collegiate debut with 19 points, four steals, four assists and two rebounds. Senior Peyton Steinman (Pittsfield, Mass.) contributed with 14 points and five rebounds while junior Liv Robles (Wallingford, Conn.) had a career day, logging 13 points and tying with senior Jenoyce Laniyan (Bedford, N.H.), who earned her first collegiate start, with six rebounds.

Steinman moves up one spot on the program's all-time career points list, passing Brianna Blanchard '05 to take 12th place with 1,218 points across a four-season career on the Hilltop. Corey Boilard also logged his 61st victory as Head Coach at Saint Anselm with the result, tying for third on the all-time wins list in team history.

The Hawks overwhelmed Daemen in the game's first seven-plus minutes, building up a game-high lead of 19-6. In that span, Steinman poured home five points and Spinks notched four of her own as Saint Anselm established a 23-10 advantage after the first quarter. The Hawks limited Daemen to just 4-for-16 shooting (25%).

Ahead by 11 points in the second quarter, Saint Anselm's lead was quickly reduced as Daemen used an 11-2 run to shrink the deficit to 34-32 with under one minute to go. Sophomore Alexa Quirolo (New Rochelle, N.Y.) made a layup in the paint shortly thereafter, creating a halftime score of 36-32. The Hawks shot under 30% in the stanza, but Daemen made its chances count, scoring on just six of their 21 field goal attempts.

The Hawks recreated a seven-point bulge in the third quarter as a Turco three-point basket with 7:39 to go pushed Saint Anselm ahead, 45-38. The two teams found themselves in a dead heat through three full quarters of play – a late jumper by Mickayla Ivy tied the game at 54 with three seconds left in the frame.

Daemen opened the fourth quarter on a 13-9 scoring run, capturing a game-high lead of four points with 4:50 left in regulation time. Saint Anselm responded with back-to-back free throws from Turco before she picked off a pass from Ivy, leading to a Spinks basket that tied the game at 67 with 4:01 left.

The Hawks slowed the pace of play down in the final minutes, allowing them to complete the comeback and take advantage of two Daemen turnovers. The Hawks were able to put four consecutive points together off Wildcats miscues, taking a 71-69 lead with 1:23 left. Saint Anselm closed the game on a 12-3 scoring run, sealing the win with six free throws in the game's final 2:10.

Ivy finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds for Daemen. Katie Titus, the Most Outstanding Player of the 2021 East Region Championship, notched 16 points and 11 rebounds while Tiana Filbert, the 2020-21 ECC Preseason Player of the Year, was limited to just 10 points and a team-high five turnovers.

Saint Anselm will take on last season's regional runner-up, Roberts Wesleyan, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13.