Seahawks host defending champion on Thursday

Summary: Salve Regina University women's basketball hosts University of New England in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) meeting at the Rodgers Recreation Center (5:30 p.m. tip-off)

Match-up: Salve Regina Seahawks (4-6; 2-2 CCC) versus University of New England Nor'easters (8-1; 4-0 CCC)

Game date, time and site: Thu., Jan. 9, 2014; 5:30 p.m. @ Newport, R.I. (Rodgers Recreation Center)

Live stats: http://livestats.prestosports.com/salveregina

Video/Audio: http://bit.ly/VnaNCV (Salve Regina women's basketball channel on ustream.tv; Andrew Pezzelli provides the call) 

Directions: http://bit.ly/1c4fubM

Tickets: Free admission

Series edge: Salve Regina leads, 11-10

Last Seahawk win in series: Salve Regina won 63-51 on January 28, 2012, in Newport.

Last Nor'easter win in series: University of New England won 69-63 on February 23, 2013, in Biddeford, Maine (CCC Championship).

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• Salve Regina leads, 11-10, in a series that began in 1990.
• UNE won three times in 2012-13 including the CCC championship game at Biddeford (69-63).
• Kaitlyn Birrell scored a game-high 16 points, leaving her two shy of 1,000 career points, and the Salve Regina University women's basketball team also came up short in its second-half comeback, falling to top-seeded University of New England, 69-63, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship Game.
• These teams have met twice in the CCC final - in addition to last season's title game, the Nor'easters and Seahawks played in the 2011 championship at the Rodgers Recreation Center.
• Marissa Pendergast scored a career-best 27 points against UNE in 2011.

• Endicott had five players finish in double figures as it used an 18-8 first-half run to eventually go into the break up by 25 (46-21).
• Marissa Pendergast led Salve Regina with 13 points to raise her career scoring mark to 974.

• Kelly Coleman scored a game-high 19 points as the Nor'easters improved to 4-0 in conference play with a home win against the Leopards.
• Both teams scored 34 points in the second half; UNE led by 13 at the break (33-20).
• Wentworth won the battle of the boards on the road, 52-43.

• University of New England forward Kelly Coleman helped lead her team to a come-from-behind 55-52 win at Endicott and earned CCC Player of the Week honors.
• In the conference win, Coleman recorded a double-double by netting a career-high 25 points and gathering 10 rebounds.
• The junior recorded eight of her points in the final seven minutes as UNE rallied from a 42-36 deficit, as well as the final four points for the Nor'easters in the last minute.
• The forward went a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line, which marked the sixth time in the last 26 seasons that a UNE player made at least that many without a miss.
• Definition of a blowout: The Nor'easters had a 70-point win on opening day, 101-31, against Daniel Webster.
• UNE's only loss was a five-point setback (64-59) at Bowdoin.

• Salve Regina women's basketball first played on this date 30 years ago - January 9, 1984 - and defeated Fitchburg State, 86-77.
• The Seahawks are 4-2 all-time on January 9, including a win over Anna Maria the last time playing on this date (2010).
• Only the second time these teams have met on a Thursday - first Thursday meeting was 2010 in the CCC semifinals at Biddeford.

• Please click here for an individual career history report (pdf) for the entire 2013-14 Salve Regina women's basketball roster. 

• Seniors Lisa Bucci, Marissa Pendergast, and Taylor Windwer share the captains' duties for the 2013-14 Salve Regina women's basketball team.
• Seventh-year head coach Cori Hughes remarks: "All three of our senior captains are really positive, unselfish, and lead by example," says Hughes, in her seventh year. "But they are also really different personalities, and each fulfill an important role as a leader on this team."
• The Seahawks have reached the CCC Championship Game in all three seasons with their current senior class.