MANCHESTER, N.H. - Junior Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) led a well-balanced scoring offense with a game-high 17 points as the Saint Anselm College women's basketball team picked up a gritty 69-60 victory over nationally ranked No. 11 Assumption University on Saturday afternoon.

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 UP NEXT:

• Saint Anselm is back home on Tuesday, December 5th at Stoutenburgh Gymnasium to host Franklin Pierce University at 5:30 p.m.

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Score: Saint Anselm 69, No. 11 Assumption 60
Records: Saint Anselm 4-3 (2-2 NE10); No. 11 Assumption 4-2 (2-2 NE10)
Location: Manchester, N.H. (Stoutenburgh Gymnasium)
Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023
Attendance: 131

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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After the first three minutes of action remained scoreless with stout defensive play on both ends of the floor, Saint Anselm scored the first basket of the game on a layup from Hoyt. The junior forward dropped in another shot in the paint to make it a 6-2 game early in the first, while sophomore Tatum Forbes (Pawtucket, R.I.) knocked down a three-pointer to put the Hawks in front by seven.
• Another triple, this time from senior Alexa Quirolo (New Rochelle, N.Y.), followed by a fastbreak layup from sophomore Anna Nelson (Gorham, Maine) allowed the Hawks to take a 16-10 advantage into the second quarter.
• Saint Anselm connected on two more shots from long range to start the second, courtesy of junior Marta Pons Gomez (Sevilla, Spain) and fifth-year Liv Robles (Wallingford, Conn.), while Nelson made a back-door cut and scored a reverse layup to give the Hawks their first double-digit lead of the game, 24-14.
• Buckets by Robles on back-to-back possessions made it a 29-18 Saint Anselm lead, and Hoyt added one more two-point jumper in the paint. The Hawks, who allowed just 24 points in the first 20 minutes, went into the locker room with a seven-point lead.
• Coming out of halftime, Assumption started to shift the momentum, generating an eight-to-zero scoring run across the first three and a half minutes in the third. Molly Stokes poured in five points of her own during that stretch. Hoyt broke the scoreless drought for Saint Anselm, and a three-point play from Robles helped the Hawks regain control and take the lead once again, 36-34. 
• Late in the quarter, Nelson and Pons Gomez each nailed three-point baskets to give the Hawks some breathing room by extending the lead to 46-37.
• 23 points in the fourth quarter helped Saint Anselm seal the deal and hold on for the win. Early in the quarter, Forbes, Quirolo, and sophomore Gina Gaccione (Rutherford, N.J.) were able to help the Hawks scoring efforts, but two traditional three-point plays by Assumption's Marina Callahan helped keep the Greyhounds within striking distance.
• Nelson played some valuable minutes down the stretch and knocked down another timely triple with 3:38 remaining to give Saint Anselm a 60-51 lead. After Assumption trimmed the lead back down to six points, Hoyt got to work in the low post, backing down her defender and finishing through contact. Hoyt drilled the free throw to once again put her team up by nine. Four more free throws from the forward in the final 25 seconds allowed Saint Anselm to come away with the nine-point victory.

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INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Saint Anselm shot 44.6% (25-56) from the field, including a scorching 52.9% (9-17) from beyond-the-arc. Assumption went just 37.3% (19-51) from the field and only knocked down one of their 10 attempts from long distance.
• The Greyhounds found success from the free throw line, knocking down 77.8% (21-27) of their free throws, compared to 10 makes on 12 attempts from the stripe for the Hawks.
• Both teams scored 32 points in the paint, but Saint Anselm's bench had a successful day and outscored the Assumption bench, 25-10.
• Hoyt led the team with 17 points (5-10 FG, 7-7 FT) to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Close behind was Robles, who dropped in 14 points (5-12 FG, 2-4 3PT-FG) and added three rebounds and two steals.
• Forbes and Nelson each set career-highs during the game. Forbes set new career-bests in both assists (seven) and rebounds (15), while Nelson's 11 points off the bench were the most she has scored in her collegiate career.
• Callahan and Stokes paced Assumption with a combined 28 points.
• This marked the 86th all-time meeting between these programs with Saint Anselm improving to 54-32 in the all-time series against Assumption.

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