Saint Anselm Cruises Past NYIT in Season-Opening Victory, 57-33

Manchester, N.H. -- Led by a stifling defense and a 53-23 rebounding advantage, the Saint Anselm women's basketball team cruised to a 57-33 season-opening win over visiting NYIT on Friday night. The Hawks held a commanding 21-6 halftime edge and stretched that lead to as many as 31 points in the win.

Saint Anselm jumped out to a 21-6 halftime lead as the Hawks held the Lady Bears to just 9.1 percent shooting in the period. Freshman Briana Jones (White Plains, N.Y.) and junior Megan Howard (St. Paul, Minn.) each had six first-half points, while Howard added 11 rebounds in the half. The Hawks led the Northeast-10 in defense in the 2009-2010 season.

The second half started much like the first half ended as the Hawks pushed the lead to 31 points at 46-15 with 8:45 remaining after a layup by Jones. NYIT used full-court defense down the stretch to try to cut into the lead and managed to get the margin down to 22 points at 49-27 with just under four minutes remaining.

Howard led the Hawks with a 12-point, 16-rebound effort for the double-double. Jones finished her first collegiate game with 14 points in 26 minutes, while senior Jen Gureckis (Nashua, N.H.) added 13 points and four assists. As a team, the Hawks shot 12-for-16 from the free throw line and outrebounded the Lady Bears on the defensive end by a 36-14 margin.

Junior Cierra Baker (Windsor, Conn.) was the lone NYIT player in double figures with 14 points in 36 minutes, including 8-for-12 from the free throw line.

Saint Anselm improves to 1-0 overall, while NYIT is 0-1 on the season. The Hawks are back in action on Sunday afternoon as Concordia visits Stoutenburgh Gym for a 2 p.m. start.