WALTHAM, Mass. – The #4 seed Saint Anselm College women's basketball team is set for the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship. The Hawks will begin the tournament on Friday night against #5 seed Southern Connecticut State (SCSU). It will be the first ever meeting for the two programs on the national stage, and the third meeting of the two teams this season. The first three rounds of the tournament will all be played at Bentley, who earned the top seed and hosting rights in the East Region.
GAME INFO:
Date: Friday, March 14th, 2025
Time: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Location: Dana Center (Bentley University - Waltham, Mass.)
Live Stream: Stream here
Live Stats powered by Sidearm Sports: https://bentleyfalcons.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Game Notes: Saint Anselm | Southern Conn. St.
Official NCAA Program: https://www.ncaa.com/DIIWomensBasketball
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Saint Anselm currently holds a 17-9 overall record this season, marking the program's most victories since winning 21 games during the 2019-20 campaign. The Hawks earned the #2 seed ahead of the Northeast-10 Conference (NE10) postseason after going 14-6 in conference play. It was their highest overall finish in the conference standings since also coming in second place during the 1994-95 season.
Saint Anselm was upset by #7 seed Adelphi in the Quarterfinal round of the NE10 Championship, but their strong performance throughout the season kept them ranked in the East Region and helped them secure a spot in the NCAA tournament for the 10th time in program history, and the first time since 2019-20.
Southern Connecticut State sits at 19-10 overall this year with an 11-9 record in NE10 play. The Owls finished in fourth place in the conference, and after winning their opening playoff game against Pace, they fell to top-seeded Bentley in the Semifinals. Despite the loss, they secured an at-large bid to the national tournament, marking their eighth-ever appearance and first since 2018.
NCAA FIRST ROUND PREVIEW:
This game will be the 35th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Southern Connecticut State holding a 19-15 advantage in the series that dates back to 1984. This season, Saint Anselm was able to come away with a pair of tightly contested wins in NE10 play to improve their overall record against SCSU.
These two teams first met this season on December 4th, when the Hawks took a 51-39 lead after three quarters on home court. The Owls mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback, trimming the deficit to just two points, but ultimately fell short as the Hawks secured a 67-63 victory. Senior Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) led the way with 21 points and 15 rebounds, reaching the 1,000 career point milestone in the process.
The rematch on February 25th in New Haven was just as thrilling. This time, SCSU entered the fourth quarter with a 58-50 lead, forcing Saint Anselm to play from behind. A pair of missed free throws by the Owls late kept the game within one possession. That set the stage for senior Katie Lemanski (Haymarket, Va.), who drilled a game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer for the Hawks to force overtime. With momentum on their side, Saint Anselm pulled away in the extra period, securing an 80-75 victory.
The winner of Friday's matchup between Saint Anselm and Southern Connecticut State will take on the winner of #1 seed Bentley and #8 seed New Haven.
KEY PLAYERS:
Hoyt was recently named Player of the Year in both the NE10 and the East Region, as recognized by the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). She was also named to the All-NE10 and D2CCA All-East Region First Teams for her outstanding performance this season.
Hoyt leads the NE10 and is currently 31st in all of NCAA Division II with 18.0 points per game. The forward also leads the conference and ranks 17th nationally in field goal percentage, making her shots at a 55.9 percent clip, which is fourth-best in program history. Additionally, Hoyt is eighth in the league with 7.9 rebounds per contest and is tied for seventh with a team-best 23 blocks through 26 games played. She has also dished out 43 assists and grabbed 27 steals on the year as well, good for third and fourth on the team, respectively.
The senior is all over the Saint Anselm program record book. She is 11th on the programs all-time scoring list with 1,331 career points, just two away from cracking the top 10. Her 543 made field goals rank ninth, while her career field goal percentage of 51.5 percent is currently second-best in team history. She has also recorded 94 blocks across her four seasons, good for sixth all-time.
Junior Tatum Forbes (Pawtucket, R.I.) was also a member of the All-NE10 First Team, contributing in multiple areas for the Hawks this season. She leads the team with 2.2 steals per game and ranks second on the squad with 11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 0.8 blocks per contest. Additionally, Forbes is second in the NE10 in assists per game and sits in third place in steals per game. She has recorded at least one steal in all 21 games she played in this season, including 13 games with multiple steals and five thefts on three separate occasions.
The junior guard has flirted with a triple-double multiple times this season, most evident on January 14th in a 69-66 win over Southern New Hampshire, where she totaled 12 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds. She has tallied four double-doubles this winter and has also scored over 10 points in 14 games, including a season-best 22 points against nationally ranked #3 Bentley.
Southern Connecticut State had two players earn All-NE10 honors, including senior guard Delaney Haines, who was named to both the All-NE10 First Team and the D2CCA All-East Region First Team. Haines had a breakout season for the Owls, leading the team and ranking second in the NE10 with 17.1 points per game. She is also second in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (33.6 percent) and third in three-pointers made per game (2.6). In a record-breaking performance, Haines notched a career-high 36 points — the fourth-most in program history and the highest single-game total in the NE10 this season.
Haines was joined by graduate forward Katie Williamson, who earned a spot on the All-NE10 Second Team. Williamson ranks fifth in the NE10 in scoring with 14.9 points per game. She is also third in the conference in free-throw percentage (84.7 percent) and fourth in total blocks (29). This season, she became the 25th player in SCSU women's basketball history to reach 1,000 career points and currently ranks 14th all-time. Additionally, Williamson recorded her 118th career block, moving into second place in program history.
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