Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content
Melanie Hoyt - Women's Basketball NCAA First Round vs. SCSU
41
Southern Conn. St. SCSU 19-11,11-9 NE10
59
Winner St. Anselm SA 18-9,14-6 NE10
Southern Conn. St. SCSU
19-11,11-9 NE10
41
Final
59
St. Anselm SA
18-9,14-6 NE10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Southern Conn. St. SCSU 15 12 11 3 41
St. Anselm SA 8 20 18 13 59

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Hoyt's Double-Double Sends Women's Basketball to NCAA Second Round

WALTHAM, Mass. – Senior Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds as the #4 seed Saint Anselm College women's basketball team defeated #5 seed Southern Connecticut State in the First Round of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship on Friday night, 59-41. It marks the first win for the Hawks in the NCAA postseason since the 2018-19 season, when they went all the way to the Elite Eight. The Hawks held the Owls to just three points in the fourth quarter and did not allow a point for the final six minutes of the game.
 

UP NEXT: 
  • Saint Anselm advances to the Second Round of the NCAA tournament where they will face #1 seed and East Region host Bentley on Saturday, March 15th at 7:30 p.m. The game will take place in the Dana Center on the campus of Bentley University in Waltham, Mass.
 

Score: Saint Anselm 59, Southern Connecticut State 41
Records: Saint Anselm (18-9), Southern Connecticut State (19-11)
Location: Waltham, Mass. (Dana Center - Bentley University)
Date: Friday, March 14th, 2025
Attendance: 165
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
  • The two teams traded early buckets as Southern Connecticut State's Hope Fox and Saint Anselm's Hoyt both knocked down midrange jumpers.
  • A basket by senior Katie Lemanski (Haymarket, Va.) and a couple of free throws by junior Tatum Forbes (Pawtucket, R.I.) gave the Hawks the lead, but a three-pointer by Rheyna Steinauer for the Owls tied the score at 6-6 midway through the first.
  • That three was the start of a 12-2 run for Southern Connecticut State as they took a 15-8 lead after one quarter. Five different players scored during that run for the Owls, including Delaney Haines who buried a three. The Hawks did not score for the final four minutes of the first.
  • Saint Anselm used a 6-0 run in the first two minutes of the second quarter to cut the deficit down to just one point. Hoyt scored four of those six points for the Hawks on the inside as they made it 15-14.
  • Haines ended the run with a layup for Southern Connecticut State, but a transition three at the other end by freshman Addisen Sulikowski (Saco, Maine) tied the score at 17-17.
  • The Owls answered with an 8-0 scoring surge to retake the lead. Threes by Jillian Martin and Ally Sentance put them back in front, 25-17, with five minutes left in the first half.
  • The Hawks then tightened things up on the defensive end and did not allow a point for the last four minutes of the half. They went on to outscore the Owls during that span, 11-2, and pulled ahead by a point right before halftime. Saint Anselm scored seven of those 11 points at the free throw line as they took a 28-27 lead at the intermission.
  • Saint Anselm generated another 11-2 run to begin the second half as they extended their lead to 10. Sophomore Elise MacNair (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) scored four of those points for the Hawks, while junior Anna Nelson (Gorham, Maine) capped off the run with a three that forced an Owls timeout.
  • A couple of free throws by Katie Williamson and a layup by Martin got the Owls back to within six points with the score at 39-33, but Hoyt responded with buckets on consecutive possessions to put the Hawks back in front by double digits.
  • Haines gave Southern Connecticut State some life at the end of the third quarter with two layups in the last minute. She was fouled on the second one and her free throw cut the Saint Anselm lead to 46-38 entering the final quarter.
  • The Owls trimmed the deficit down to seven points after another bucket by Haines and a free throw by Williamson early in the fourth, but that was the closest they would get. Saint Anselm held Southern Connecticut State without a point for the last six minutes and finished the game on an 11-0 as they went on to win, 59-41.
  • The Hawks played a large portion of that stretch without Hoyt, who picked up her fourth foul midway through the fourth quarter. Forbes paced them offensively and helped close the game with five points and an assist in the last five minutes.
 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
  • Both teams struggled to shoot throughout the game as Saint Anselm went 21 for 54 (38.9 percent) and Southern Connecticut State went 16 for 53 (30.2 percent).
  • The best quarter for the Hawks was the third, when they shot eight for 14 from the floor (57.1 percent). They also held the Owls to just one made field goal out of 12 attempts (8.3 percent) in the fourth.
  • Neither side got it going from three-point range as the Hawks made only two out of 14 (14.3 percent) and the Owls made just four out of 21 (19.0 percent) from beyond the arc.
  • Saint Anselm had a huge advantage at the free throw line. They knocked down 15 for 18 (83.3. percent) at the charity stripe compared to Southern Connecticut State's five made free throws out of nine attempts (55.6 percent).
  • The Hawks totaled 11 assists on their 21 made baskets. The Owls recorded only eight assists on their 16 made field goals.
  • Saint Anselm controlled the boards with a 40-34 edge in the rebounding battle. They also out-rebounded the Owls on the offensive glass, 13-12. Five Hawks grabbed at least five rebounds in the game.
  • The Hawks outscored the Owls in the paint, 30-20, and in transition, 11-0. They also held a 10-9 lead in second chance points.
  • The two teams combined for 37 turnovers in the game with Southern Connecticut State committing 20 and Saint Anselm committing 17. The Hawks maintained a 21-12 lead in points off those turnovers.
  • Defensively, Saint Anselm recorded three blocks and nine steals, while Southern Connecticut State posted two blocks and eight steals.
  • Bench scoring was limited as the Owls outscored the Hawks in that area, 9-3. Only three reserves between the two teams scored.
  • There were four ties and three lead changes in the game. Southern Connecticut State led by seven points after the first quarter, but Saint Anselm took a one-point lead at halftime and did not give it up.
  • The Hawks limited the Owls to just three points in the fourth quarter, including one point over the final seven minutes of the game.
  • Hoyt led Saint Anselm with game-highs of 19 points (7-13 FG, 5-6 FT) and 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Forbes added 13 points (3-9 FG, 7-8 FT), seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals for the Hawks.
  • Haines was the only player to score in double figures for Southern Connecticut State. She finished with 12 points (5-16 FG, 1-4 3PT, 1-1 FT) and four rebounds.
  • This marked the 35th all-time meeting between these two programs, and first in the NCAA tournament. Saint Anselm improves to 16-19 overall against Southern Connecticut State in the series that began in 1984. The Hawks completed the sweep with three wins over the Owls this season.
 

STAY CONNECTED:
Print Friendly Version