Salve Regina survives late rally by Emerson, 54-53

BOSTON, Mass. -- Olivia Browning (Trumbull, Conn.) blocked a last second driving baseline layup by Emerson's Olivia DiNucci '13 (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and preserved a 54-53 victory for Salve Regina University in non-conference women's basketball action at Emerson's Brown & Plofker Gym.

Browning's rejection thwarted a Lion rally that began with 1:41 remaining and Emerson trailing by eight points. Following two Lindsay Shorey (Ashland, Mass.) free throws that gave Salve Regina a 53-45 lead, the Lions went to work. Jackie Williams '13 (Lorton, Va.) nailed a three point shot with 1:21 left. An Emerson time out allowed the Lions to set up a press that forced the Seahawks into a missed jumper. Lauren Zaniboni '11 (San Diego, Calif.) canned a layup that made the score 53-50 .

Following another timeout Emerson's Kathy Andrade '11 (Hull, Mass.) was fouled on the rebound of a missed Salve Regina layup. Andrade hit one of two free throws to pull Emerson to within a bucket with 25 ticks left. Williams fouled Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) on the inbounds pass and Birrell hit the front end of a one on one, for a 54-51 lead.

Emerson again went to Zaniboni for a basket in the paint and a 53-54 deficit. Williams fouled Birrell on the inbounds play and DiNucci rebounded the errant free throw setting up the game's final play.

Emerson roared out to a 14-2 led 6:40 into the game, but Salve Regina fought back to a 23-20 halftime deficit. The Seahawks held Emerson scoreless for the first 5:10 of the second half and forged a 29-23 lead. The lead stretched to 34-26 before Emerson went on an 11-2 run to pull within 38-37. A Shorey jump shot got Salve Regina back on track. A 10-2 run, highlighted by three Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.) layups gave the Seahawks a 47-39 advantage with 5:12 left.

Emerson then scored six straight to pull within a pair, but six consecutive points by Shorey gave Salve Regina its final eight point advantage.

Zaniboni posted her second consecutive double-double with 20 points an d19 rebounds to lead all players in both categories. She also had seven blocks and four assists. Phillips and Birrell shared team-high honors for Salve Regina with 15 each, while Phillips added 10.

Salve Regina (3-1) will travel to UMass Dartmouth for a 7 p.m. tip off on Thursday. Emerson (2-2) will play the host school in the Williams College Tournament at 8 p.m. on Friday.

Courtesy of Emerson sports information