Second-half comeback lifts Salve Regina on road

BRISTOL, R.I. – Salve Regina University (6-1; 2-0) mounted a 14-point second-half comeback to earn an 83-79 win over the Roger Williams University men's basketball team in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday afternoon.

Closing out games has been difficult for the Hawks on the young season, as this marks the fourth time this year that Roger Williams has lost despite holding a double-digit lead at some point in the second half.

The game was fairly close early on, with seven ties and four lead changes in the first half alone. Salve Regina led by as many as nine in the opening period, with Jeff Bielefeld (Littleton, Mass.) laying in a basket with 6:06 left to give the Seahawks a 32-23 lead.

The Hawks managed to come back and regain the advantage, with Adam Cook (Manasquan, N.J.) hitting a layup with 2:08 left in the half to cap off a 15-2 run. Roger Williams would go into the break with a two-point lead (40-38).

The Hawks pulled away from Salve Regina early on in the second half, using a 14-4 run over the first four minutes to take a commanding 12-point lead (54-42). Salve Regina chipped away at the deficit but the Hawks continued to remain in front for most of the period, with its largest lead a 72-58 advantage with 7:30 to play.

At that point, the Seahawk defense clamped down, forcing four turnovers and holding RWU to one field goal over the next six minutes of play. It would culminate in back-to-back layups by Scott St. Lawrence (Litchfield, N.H.) to tie the game at 75, then give Salve a 77-75 lead with 1:16 left.

Barrett Hanlon (Hopkinton, Mass.) put in a crucial basket after a Hawk miss to give the Seahawks a four-point lead. Salve Regina sank four of its final six free throws to help seal the game. Joseph Henry (Medway, Mass.) attempted a deep three with 10 seconds to give the Hawks one last shot to tie the game but had it fall short, as the Seahawks escaped with the win.

Five Seahawks poured in double digits, including Hanlon's team-high 21 points with eight rebounds. Bielefeld had his third double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Joshua Hohlfelder (Noank, Conn.) finished with 14 points. St. Lawrence had 12 points and seven boards off the bench, while Patrick Dinneen (Medfield, Mass.) went for 11 points and three steals.

Ryan Palumbo (Warwick, R.I.) scored a season-high 24 points with five assists and four steals. Travis Fonseca (Bridgeport, Conn.) also scored a season high for RWU, going for 16 points with four assists. Henry added nine points and four rebounds off the bench.

Roger Williams (1-6, 0-2 CCC) wraps up the semester on Tuesday against UMass-Dartmouth, while Salve Regina travels to Rhode Island College next, also on Tuesday.