Seahawks come up short at RIC, 81-65

Providence, R.I. - Sophomore guard Stephanie Coro (North Providence, R.I.) scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds as the Rhode Island College women's basketball team defeated Salve Regina, 81-65, at The Murray Center on Tuesday evening.

The Anchorwomen (7-1) only trailed once in the entire ballgame. RIC built a first-half best, 11-point, 20-9, lead with 12:29 remaining on a freshman forward Courtney Burns (Rockland, Mass.) layup.

Salve Regina (4-3) outscored RIC, 20-8, over the next 7:15 to take a 29-28 lead with 5:14 left. Sophomore guard Brittany Saccoccio (Glocester, R.I.) hit back-to-back layups, followed by a longball, bucket and foul shot by Coro, to give the hosts a lead they would never relinquish. The Anchorwomen closed out the half on a 14-3 run.

Junior forward Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.) hit two free throws to pull the Seahawks within two points, 46-44, with 13:39 left in the second half, but that would be as close as SRU would get. Rhode Island College responded with a 10-2 run to build a 56-46 lead at the 10-minute mark. The host's advantage, which never dipped below double digits and reached a game-high of 17, easily won the game down the stretch.

Five Anchorwomen scored in double figures led by Coro's effort. Burns finished with 14 points, five rebounds and a game-high seven steals. Senior guard Denise Scott (Yonkers, N.Y.) came on strong in the second half, finishing with 13 points and three steals. Sophomore forward Rachel Riley (Coventry, R.I.) had 12 points, seven rebounds and four swipes.

Phillips finished with 18 points, five rebounds and four steals in a losing effort.

Despite being outrebounded, 45-37, RIC forced 28 turnovers on 21 steals. The Anchorwomen shot 43 percent (33-for-77) from the field, while the Seahawks shot 40 percent (23-for-58).

Courtesy of Rhode Island College sports information