MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's basketball team took down nationally-ranked Daemen University on Sunday in convincing fashion, forging a 54-38 victory in Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.
Saint Anselm improves to 4-7 overall on the season, defeating its first nationally-ranked opponent since also knocking off the Wildcats in the season-opener in 2021-22, 75-70. Daemen (7-2) falls for just the first time in regulation this season.
The Wildcats came into Sunday's affair ranked No. 19 in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll and 22nd in the fifth Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Women's Basketball National Poll.
Sophomore Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) was six-for-nine from the floor, scoring 16 points with seven rebounds to her credit. Senior McKenzy Ouellette (West Newfield, Maine) hauled in eight rebounds, leading the way, while junior Gabby Turco (Wildwood, N.J.) dished out four assists and also posted seven rebounds.
Junior Alexa Quirolo (New Rochelle, N.Y.) was productive off the bench, making three of her four three-point attempts, and tallying nine points. Senior Macy Spinks (Luton, England) scored nine points with clutch free throws for her team in key moments.
Daemen jumped out to a 7-0 lead, forcing an early Saint Anselm timeout. The Hawks quickly rallied, tying the game over the next three-plus minutes and going on top for good near the midpoint of the second quarter.
Down 17-13 with 8:39 to go in the first half, the Hawks scored 15 points in a row to capture a 28-17 advantage that led to a 30-21 lead at the break. Saint Anselm was 8-for-12 in the second quarter as Robles led the way with seven of her team's 19 points.
Daemen trimmed the Saint Anselm lead to just one points, 34-33, late in the third quarter after scoring 12 of the first 16 points of the stanza. An and-one by Hoyt with two seconds left in the third quarter pushed the Hawks ahead, 39-35, heading into the fourth quarter.
It was all Saint Anselm in a dominant fourth quarter. The Hawks defense allowed just one made basket and one made free throw to the Wildcats, who produced just three points in 10 minutes. Saint Anselm had balanced scoring to close the game and made all eight of their free throws in the period.
Daemen shot just 26.7% from the floor as the Hawks have limited the opposition to just 28.7% shooting in the last two games (38-for-132). The Wildcats controlled the paint, scoring 22 of the game's 40 points under the hoop, while the Hawks poured home 13 points off 17 Daemen turnovers.
Saint Anselm heads to Saint Michael's on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 1:30 p.m. in a return to Northeast-10 Conference play.
