MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's basketball team started strong, but eventually fell to cross-town rival Southern New Hampshire University on Tuesday evening.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm has a week off before hitting the road to take on Bentley University on Wednesday, November 29th at 5:30 p.m. from Waltham, Mass.
Score: Saint Anselm 68, Southern New Hampshire 79
Records: Saint Anselm 3-2 (1-1 Northeast-10); Southern New Hampshire 2-0 (2-0 Northeast-10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023
Attendance: 165
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both teams were able to shoot well from the floor in a high-scoring first quarter. Jess Knight opened the game's scoring, cashing in on four of Southern New Hampshire's first six points. Fifth-year Liv Robles (Wallingford, Conn.) responded for Saint Anselm, pouring in five of the next seven for the Hawks to give them a 7-6 lead.
- Junior Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) added eight of the next eleven Saint Anselm points as the Hawks jumped ahead, 18-16. Three of her four field goals during that stretch came from turnaround jumpers from close range and were assisted by junior Katie Lemanski (Haymarket, Va.). Shortly after checking in, Senior Alexa Quirolo (New Rochelle, N.Y.) connected on a triple before Hoyt closed the quarter with two more jumpers from Lemanski as the Hawks led, 25-20, after one.
- Robles opened the second with successful mid-range jumpers on consecutive possessions before sophomore Tatum Forbes (Pawtucket, R.I.) drove to the paint for a layup in transition, giving Saint Anselm an 11-point lead and forcing a timeout by Southern New Hampshire.
- After another made jump shot by Forbes to go up by 13 points, the Penmen responded with a 13-0 run across a four minute period midway through the quarter to tie it up, 33-33. Julia Colby poured in five points, while teammate Meghan Gordon added four during that stretch for Southern New Hampshire.
- Robles ended the half on a high note for Saint Anselm, following up on her own missed layup with a made field goal while being fouled. The fifth-year made the ensuing free throw, but Colby tied up the score at 38 with a layup just before the halftime horn.
- Despite a strong start to the second half from the Hawks courtesy of back-to-back close-range buckets by Hoyt, the Penmen quickly opened up a 16-0 scoring surge to jump out to a 54-42 lead. Knight scored seven points, while teammate Adriana Timberlake had four for Southern New Hampshire during that sequence.
- Forbes provided the answer for Saint Anselm with a three-point play, driving hard to the rim and making a layup while being fouled to cut the deficit back to single digits. Lemanski drilled a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter as the Hawks entered the final period trailing by seven.
- Southern New Hampshire opened the fourth quarter by making shots on three straight offensive possessions. Abby Wager knocked down a three while Knight poured in four more points as the Penmen extended their lead to 63-49. Another three ball by Wager put Southern New Hampshire ahead, 71-54, but a quick response from beyond-the-arc by sophomore Gina Gaccione (Rutherford, N.J.) trimmed the Penmen lead back down to 14 points with six minutes to play.
- The Hawks fought hard to get back into the game with made jumpers from Forbes, Hoyt, and Robles. Quirolo also made another three-point basket to make it 77-68, Penmen, with 51 seconds remaining, but the Hawks would run out of time and fall to their cross-town rivals.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Southern New Hampshire finished the game shooting an efficient 49.3 percent from the field (33-67), while Saint Anselm shot 41.2 percent from the floor (28-68).
- Both teams made six three-point field goals, while the Hawks went 6-10 from the free throw line compared to 7-11 for the Penmen.
- The Penmen scored 40 points in the paint and 17 points off of Hawks turnovers.
- Hoyt led Saint Anselm with 20 points (9-18 FG, 2-2 FT) to go along with seven rebounds. Robles added 17 points (7-18 FG, 2-4 3PT-FG, 1-1 FT) as well as a team-high 13 rebounds, while Forbes added 15 points (6-15 FG, 3-7 FT) of her own.
- Lemanski led the team with a career-high 10 assists while also adding five points.
- Knight led Southern New Hampshire with a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds, and five blocks. Gordon poured in 18 points and Colby added 15 for the Penmen.
- This marked the 76th all-time meeting between these two programs, with Saint Anselm now holding a 52-24 all-time record versus Southern New Hampshire.
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