MANCHESTER, N.H. - Junior Makenzie Burud's (Red Hook, N.Y./Coleman Catholic) tie-breaking hoop with 1:18 remaining lifted the Saint Michael's College women's basketball team over Saint Anselm College, 68-65, on Saturday in Stoutenburgh Gym. The Purple Knights overcame a 13-point first-half deficit to improve to 7-4 during a non-league contest between the Northeast-10 Conference counterparts, while the Hawks lost for the fifth time in six games and fell to 4-5.

Burud had 20 points, six rebounds and three assists for the Purple Knights, who had last won a road game on Feb. 23, 2013, a 63-43 triumph against Saint Anselm, and recently fell to the Hawks, 84-76, on Dec. 3 in Colchester. Senior Maggie Sabine (Litchfield, Maine/Oak Hill/Central Maine CC) totaled 16 points, seven boards, four steals and three helpers, and sophomore Indira Evora (Somerville, Mass./Somerville) notched 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Senior Kelly Frappier (Colchester, Conn./Bacon Academy) shot 5-of-8 for 10 points, while four of first-year Tomi Akinpetide's (Sydney, Australia/Rice Memorial) five boards were offensive. Saint Michael's has won three of its last four.

Sophomore Caitlyn Abela (North Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames/Sacred Heart) scored 30 points on 8-of-13 three-point shooting for Saint Anselm, and classmate Kaila Duarte (Dorchester, Mass./Beaver Country Day School/Johnson C. Smith) posted 17 points, 16 rebounds and four steals.

In a game that featured 11 lead changes and six ties, Burud broke the final knot by hitting a jumper with 1:18 remaining. On Saint Anselm's next possession, Sabine came up with a steal before junior Megan Gaudreau (Brooklyn, Conn./Pomfret School) buried a three-pointer with 20 seconds left. However, Abela responded just four seconds later with her eighth triple of the game, bringing the Hawks within 67-65. After Burud hit a free throw at 10 ticks, Saint Anselm missed a tying three-point attempt at the buzzer. Saint Michael's held a 14-4 edge during the stanza on points off of turnovers after the hosts posted the same advantage in the category in the opening frame.

Saint Michael's used a 12-0 run that bridged halftime to tie the game at 40 at 16:04 of the second half, with Sabine notching the final two buckets. The teams traded short go-ahead spurts, as three straight points by the Hawks were met by four by the visitors, with Burud's jumper putting the Purple Knights ahead 44-43, but the hosts netted the next four points. Frappier scored the last four points of a 6-0 run, making it 50-47, and Saint Michael's led by as many as three points until Saint Anselm netted seven in a row to grab a 58-54 edge with 6:51 left. An 8-2 run put the visitors back in front, with Burud scoring four points and Frappier connecting on a go-ahead jumper at 2:32, but junior Raquel Johnson (Inglewood, Calif./Saint Anthony's) forged the 11th tie by hitting two freebies at 1:35, just 17 seconds before Burud's winning basket.

The Purple Knights opened the game with five of the first seven points, not allowing a field goal until 4:41 had passed, and the teams exchanged the lead four times during one 1:13 stretch, including for the final time when Evora nailed a three at 14:06. Saint Michael's extended its lead back to three points on a trio of occasions, with hoops by Sabine twice providing the cushion, but the Hawks countered with a 22-6 run behind 9-of-11 shooting. Abela scored 14 of her points in that time, as the visitors were held without a field goal during one 8:09 stretch, and Saint Anselm led 35-22 with 3:40 to go. The Purple Knights cut the deficit to nine on three occasions, with Burud scoring her team's final seven points and creating a 40-31 margin at halftime after knocking down a late three-pointer.

The Purple Knights, who are amid a five-game road swing, head to Stonehill College for their next game on Jan. 3 at 1:30 p.m. The Skyhawks are tied for 12th in the latest D2SIDA National Media Poll and sit 13th in the USA TODAY national poll.