SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Saint Anselm College women's basketball team had their season come to a close after falling to American International College, 64-56, in the Northeast-10 Championship First Round on Friday evening. The Hawks concluded the season with a 10-19 overall record and went 7-15 in conference play.
Score: Saint Anselm 56, American Int'l 64
Records: Saint Anselm 10-19, American Int'l 15-14
Location: Springfield, Mass. (Henry A. Butova Gymnasium)
Date: Friday, March 1, 2024
Attendance: 642
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Saint Anselm jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to sophomore Tatum Forbes (Pawtucket, R.I.) and junior Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) each making jump shots in the first three minutes of the game.
- After Briana Lee cut into Saint Anselm's advantage with her first basket of the evening, junior Katie Lemanski (Haymarket, Va.) responded by pouring in four points with a jumper and a pair of made free throws to make it 8-4.
- At the 2:58 mark of the opening quarter, Ruzgar Boyle picked up a steal and made a fast break shot to tie the game at 8-8. Fifth-year Liv Robles (Wallingford, Conn.) answered by finishing a jump shot for the Hawks, but Tia-Marie Martinez knocked down the first triple of the game for the Yellow Jackets. Forbes dropped four late points in the quarter to keep Saint Anselm ahead 14-13.
- Forbes kicked off the second quarter with another made jumper, but American International buried a three-pointer to even the score at 16-16. Sophomore Harmony Marquez (Rutherford, N.J.) kept the score close by scoring her first four points of the game nearing the midway point of the quarter.
- Both teams continued to exchange points late in the half, but American International took a 25-24 edge heading into halftime after two made free throws from Martinez.
- The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a five-point advantage to start the third quarter following two early baskets. Shortly after Hoyt added four points for Saint Anselm, the host's offense took control with a 10-0 run to make it 41-28 with less than two minutes left in the quarter.
- Robles disrupted the Yellow Jackets momentum with a midrange jump shot, but the home team remained in the lead by 12 points at the end of the third.
- The Hawks battled in the fourth quarter as Hoyt and Robles each dropped in an early basket with the season on the line, but American International went 3-for-4 at the charity stripe followed by a layup by Lee to extend their lead to 50-36.
- Saint Anselm answered by scoring the next five points featuring a layup from Forbes along with a drained three-pointer by Lemanski.
- Senior Alexa Quirolo (New Rochelle, N.Y.) knocked down a late triple in the fourth to cut the Yellow Jackets lead to just six points, but American International kept Saint Anselm at arm's length and defeated the Hawks by a final score of 64-56.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- American International shot 39.6 percent (19-48) from the field while Saint Anselm nearly matched that by shooting 39.0 percent from the floor (23-59). The Yellow Jackets knocked down 4-of-15 (26.7%) on three-pointers while the Hawks went just 2-for-16 (12.5%) from behind the arc.
- At the free throw line, the hosts went 22-of-29 (75.9%) in comparison to the guests going 8-for-13 (61.5%) on foul shots.
- The Hawks held a 37-34 advantage in rebounds while the Yellow Jackets bench outscored Saint Anselm's, 20-6.
- Saint Anselm outscored American International 30-26 in the paint, but also made 13 turnovers in the game.
- Forbes led the Hawks with 18 points (8-17 FG, 2-3 FT) to go along with nine rebounds and an assist. Hoyt (6-7 FG) and Lemanski (3-7 FG, 1-2 3-FG, 3-4 FT) also finished with double-digits and combined for 22 points. Robles added six points and five rebounds in her final game with Saint Anselm.
- Lee recorded a double-double for the Yellow Jackets, scoring a team-high 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Kayla Robinson added 14 points.
- This marked the 75th meeting between these two programs with Saint Anselm falling to 40-35 in the all-time series against American International.
STAY CONNECTED:
