Ronaghan's 33 leads Corsairs over Seahawks, 73-50

NEWPORT, R.I. - Sophomore forward Megan Ronaghan (North Attleboro, Mass.) scored agame-high 33 points, matching her career-high, on 16-of-20 shooting to lead visiting UMass Dartmouth over Salve Regina University, 73-50, in non league action at the Rodgers Recreation Center.

The Corsairs remain unbeaten (5-0) while the Seahawks fall to 3-2 on the season.

You know it's not your day when the nation's leading scorer, Salve Regina's Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.), who came into the game with 29.5 points per game, misses two free throws in the first five seconds of the contest. The Corsairs scored on their first possession, an Erin Fahey (Salem, Mass.) jumper, and never trailed or tied after that.

Ronaghan sank her first two shots before Allyson Esielionis (Shirley, Mass.) produced the first field goal for the Seahawks. Kelsey Garrity's (Somerville, Mass.) steal and layup at 14:59 gave the visitors a 10-3 lead and forced a timeout for the Seahawk bench.

Madelyn Brackett (Coopersville, Mich.) made a pair of free throws and Samantha Frost (Windham, Maine) drained a 3-pointer for a modest 5-0 run, but Fahey and Ronaghan combined on three successive layups. UMass Dartmouth outscored Salve Regina in the paint, 22-to-6, in the first half.

Consecutive layups for Harden closed the first-half gap to one, 18-17, with 6:40 remaining, but the Corsairs would end the half with an 18-7 run.

Ronaghan had 21 points and seven rebounds at the break. Beth Castantini (Newburyport, Mass.) hit a 3-pointer for the final points of the first period which left the Corsairs with a double-digit lead, 36-24. Garrity's free throws started the second half scoring and UMass Dartmouth maintained the double-digit advantage throughout the remainder of the game.

Harden finished with her fourth double-double in five games, 15 points and 12 rebounds. Esielionis scored in double-figures (12 points) for the first time in her collegiate career.

Ronaghan also had a team-high 10 rebounds for her double-double. Fahey finished 8-of-11 from the floor for 16 points while Garrity added 10 points and six steals.

Salve Regina breaks for Thanksgiving before traveling to Brunswick, Maine, for a 2 p.m. meeting with the Polar Bears of Bowdoin College on Saturday. UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 1 p.m. Saturday, when the Corsairs host Roger Williams University.