Women's Basketball Turns Back Saint Anselm, 62-57


Hyslip scored eight of her 12 points in the second half, adding eight rebounds. (PHOTO BY Barry Gutradt)

Balanced offense and strong defense keys Skyhawks second-straight win

EASTON, Mass. (November 21, 2017) – Stonehill College, ranked tenth in this week's D2SIDA East Region media poll, used a balanced offensive effort and a defensive effort which held Saint Anselm College, ranked sixth in the region, to 33-percent shooting to key a 62-57 victory in Northeast-10 Conference women's basketball action on Paula Sullivan Court at Merkert Gymnasium tonight.

Senior Samantha Hyslip (Westford, Massachusetts/Westford Academy) and sophomore Gabrielle Reuter (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Lawrence Academy) led a balanced Stonehill effort that put four in double-figures with 12 points apiece. Hyslip scored eight of her 12 points in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting, with a team-high eight rebounds, while Reuter netted 11 of her career-high 12 points in the first half, finishing 5-of-7 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the free-throw line, in 15 minutes off the bench.


Martin added 11 points and eight assists for the Skyhawks. (PHOTO BY Peter Buehner)

Senior Kelly Martin (Scituate, Massachusetts/Scituate) added 11 points to move within 17 points of becoming Stonehill's 30th 1,000-point scorer, totaling eight assists, five rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal. Sophomore Grace Carter (Arlington, Massachusetts/Arlington) chipped in ten second half points on 3-of-5 shooting, including 1-for-2 from three-point distance, converting all three free-throw tries. Sophomore Kelsey Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) chipped in eight boards, while senior Elizabeth Grip (Shrewsbury, Massachusetts/Shrewsbury) blocked four shots.

Sophomore Shannon Ryan (Plattsburgh, New York/Tabor Academy), a Boston College transfer, led Saint Anselm with a double-double effort of 21 points and 15 rebounds, to go with four steals. Classmate Sara Messler (Durham, New Hampshire/Oyster River) added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and three rebounds, while senior Ali Glennon (Bedford, New Hampshire/Bedford) chipped in with eight boards.

Stonehill held the lead or was tied for all but 3:52 in the contest, but Saint Anselm had the lead (49-48) after a Messler jumper midway through the fourth quarter. The Skyhawks reeled off ten straight points, including five by Hyslip, to grab an eight-point lead (58-50) after a Carter layup with 1:35 remaining. The Hawks were able to close within two (59-57) following a Messler layup with 22-seconds to play, but got no closer as Carter drained two free-throws and Reuter made one of two from there to seal the win.

Stonehill grabbed a four-point halftime lead (34-30) and then scored the first six points of the third quarter, led by four from Grip, to open a game-high ten point cushion (40-30) after a Grip layup two minutes in. Saint Anselm followed that with eight straight of its own, including six by Ryan, to draw within two, before trailing by a point (43-42) entering the final frame.

Stonehill (2-1, 2-1 NE10) will be right back in action after a quick holiday break on Saturday, when it hosts LIU Post for a non-conference matchup at Merkert Gym at 1 p.m. Saint Anselm (3-2, 2-1 NE10) visits Mercy College next Monday at 7 p.m.

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