On Tuesday February 1, the women’s basketball team welcomed Pace University to the Stoutenburgh Gymnasium for a Northeast-10 conference matchup. After a tight loss to Adelphi in New York on February 28, the Hawks were looking to bounce back and get hot leading into the tail end of the season.

The Hawks, entering the game with nine wins and eleven losses, looked to steal a win as the season began to wind down. This conference game meant a lot, as it could be a major determining factor in the playoff tournament.

The Hawks jumped out to a lead within the early few minutes of the game. However, Pace would not quit. At the end of the first quarter, the Hawks led 20-13.

This would continue into the second quarter, where the Hawks would not be stopped. Saint Anselm kept expanding their lead, going up 14 points to end the half, leading 40-26. 

This trend would stay the same in the second half. The Hawks would never let Pace get an inch. Throughout the entire game, Saint Anselm would never give up the lead. Cruising to a comfortable victory, the Hawks would win the contest by 10.

The Hawks were led by a strong performance by Junior Gabby Turco, who shot 8-16 from the floor, leading Saint Anselm with 21 points, as well as posting 8 rebounds, which also led the team.

Sophomore Melanie Hoyt also had a notable performance scoring 19 points for the Hawks, making 11 of her shot attempts. Along with Hoyt, Senior Liv Robles led the team with 5 assists. As a team, the Hawks had 15 assists, which is a promising sign as the end of the season nears.

Overall, this was a great sign for the Hawks. As a team, the Hawks shot above 50% from the floor. This is a phenomenal sign for the Hawks as the season winds down. Shooting so well from the floor will absolutely help when Saint Anselm hits tournament time.

The Hawks played again on Tuesday February 7 when they hosted American International in the Stoutenburgh Gymnasium at 5:30 PM. In another tight matchup, the Hawks were able to squeak out a 50-49 victory. Hoyt made a clutch go-ahead layup in the final 10 seconds to help the Hawks secure the win. 

This is another important NE-10 conference win, as we begin to inch closer to March. 

The Hawks now sit at 11-11 on the season. The NE-10 conference is up for grabs at every position as we head into the end of the season. 

Senior guard McKenzy Ouellette mentioned the determination of this Hawks team, saying, “We have been stressing the importance of finishing off the season strong by stringing along wins. The biggest assignment in practice has been getting consecutive stops on defense and translating that to games.” 

The Hawks’ most recent win was major for the team, as it moved them within two games of Southern Connecticut State University. 

Hopefully the Hawks’ back to back wins will provide a necessary spark as the NE-10 conference tournament approaches. The Hawks are seeming to catch fire at the end of the season, and there are plenty of opportunities for wins. 

“In our final stretch of the year, we play a few teams we suffered close losses to. We’re on our revenge tour, and we have proven to our opponents in the NE-10 to not underestimate the underdog,” said Robles.

Come cheer on the Hawks in their final home game of the regular season on February 18.