GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – Sophomore Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) scored a career-high 26 points on Saturday as the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team recorded an 80-75 loss at Adelphi University in Northeast-10 Conference play.
Saint Anselm falls to 9-11 on the season and to 5-9 versus NE10 opponents while the Panthers, who overcame a 13-point deficit, improve to 9-10 overall while winning their sixth conference game in 14 opportunities.
Hoyt racked up 20 first-half points, eclipsing her previous full-game career-high of 18 in just 16-plus minutes of game play. She finished with seven rebounds and was six-of-seven from the charity stripe, totaling the 26 points in exactly 26 minutes of action.
Junior Gabby Turco (Wildwood, N.J.) produced 22 points, including seven perfect free throws, alongside five rebounds and five assists. Senior Liv Robles (Wallingford, N.J.) collected a game-high 11 rebounds, adding nine points and three assists in defeat.
Saint Anselm built up a 35-22 advantage through the game's first 13-plus minutes, connecting on 14 of its first 25 shots while committing just three miscues. Hoyt had 18 of her team's 35 points in that span, helping the Hawks to a solid lead despite Adelphi also posting impressive shooting statistics from the floor (10-for-18).
Adelphi poured home 37 of the game's next 54 points, quickly turning the tables on the Hawks across the next two quarters. As a team, the Panthers were 13-for-18 and had two 12-point scorers in that stretch. Saint Anselm did open the third quarter strong with a triple, but the hosts racked up 17 of the next 22 points to build its slight advantage.
The teams battled to a 68-68 tie with 7:46 to go in regulation, but Adelphi pulled away as the Hawks lost their offensive touch – Saint Anselm was just 2-for-12 from the floor across the final seven-plus minutes of the game. The Hawks trailed by just one point, 76-75, with 1:56 left, but missed their final five shots.
The Panthers shot 55.4% for the game and connected on all but two of their 17 free-throw opportunities. The Hawks did limit Adelphi to zero second-chance points while scoring 17 of their own in similar opportunities.
Saint Anselm will play each of its next two games at home, opening that stretch against Pace on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 5:30 p.m.
