MANCHESTER, N.H. – Four reached double-digit scoring totals for the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team in a convincing 87-60 victory over Dominican (N.Y.) College on Sunday.
Saint Anselm (1-1) shot 53.6% from the floor in the victory, making 10-of-17 from beyond the arc, and kept the Chargers (1-1) to under 34% shooting for the game. The Hawks are shooting over 50% (60-for-115) across the first two games of the season.
Junior Gabby Turco (Wildwood, N.J.) scored 21 points with a team-best eight rebounds, shooting 7-for-7 from the free throw line. Senior McKenzy Ouellette (West Newfield, Maine) scored a career-high 16 points in just 20 minutes, adding 11 of those points in the second half.
Senior Liv Robles (Wallingford, Conn.)) scored 13 points and dished out four assists, a career-best mark, and freshman Gina Gaccione (Rutherford, N.J.) scored nine points for the Hawks, shooting five-for-seven from the floor.
Sophomore Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) missed just one of her seven field goals, scoring 15 points with seven rebounds. Junior Gia Bramanti (Andover, Mass.) handed out a career-high five assists, leading the team, and freshman Caleigh Edwards (Queens, N.Y.) made her collegiate debut with three rebounds (two offensive) in four minutes.
Robles scored the first two points of the game and the Hawks went on to build a double-digit lead with 6:27 to go in the first quarter. The Chargers responded by trimming the hosts' lead to eight points with 40 seconds left, but a Gaccione triple before the end of the first quarter stopped the momentum.
The Gaccione trey sparked a 21-6 scoring run for Saint Anselm that culminated with a 47-24 advantage just 1:45 before halftime. The third quarter also saw a strong scoring spurt by the Hawks – Saint Anselm poured home 14 of the third quarter's final 21 points.
Another Gaccione three-point basket pushed the Hawks ahead by 30 points, 83-53, with 3:45 left in regulation time. In the final stanza, Saint Anselm shot 50% from the floor as a late push by the Chargers was too late.
Saint Anselm welcomes Bentley to Stoutenburgh Gymnasium on Wednesday, Nov. 16, hosting the Falcons at 5:30 p.m.
