Hilltop Sports Briefs: Playoff Edition

Cody Jones, Editor-in-Chief

Men’s basketball defeats SCSU, advances to NE10 semifinals

Hawk men’s basketball defeated Southern Connecticut State University 87-74 in the Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinals. All five Hawk starters scored double figures. Sophomore Cody Ball led the offense with 21 points. Senior Harrison Taggart added 19 points and senior Chris Braley had a double-double, scoring 13 points and 20 rebounds. With the win, Saint Anselm advances to the conference semifinals and will play at Le Moyne on March 1 at 7 p.m.

Women’s basketball defeats AIC, advances to NE10 semifinals

Hawk women’s basketball defeated American International College 76-53 in the Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinals. Senior Candace Andrews led the offense with 26 points. Junior Clairee Putnam also checked in 14 points and senior Kaila Duarte added a double-double, tallying 13 points and 12 rebounds. The Hawks advance to the conference semifinals and will play at Bentley on March 2 at 7 p.m.

Women’s ice hockey wins NEHC Open Championship

Hawk women’s ice hockey won the New England Hockey Conference Open Championship after defeating Holy Cross 3-2 in overtime. Sophomore Maura Kieft scored the game winning goal for Saint Anselm on a power play at 10:05 into overtime. She was assisted by sophomore Sara McNamara. Junior Kaitlyn Spillane and senior captain Victoria Shea scored the other two Hawk goals. With the win, Saint Anselm finished the 2016-17 season with a 22-2-3 record, having not lost a game since Jan. 11.