Third-quarter rally lifts Salve Regina over Suffolk, 52-50

SEAHAWK WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RESULTS
Salve Regina 52, Suffolk 50
Rodgers Rec. Ctr. - Newport, R.I.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Summary
Salve Regina University women's basketball defeated Suffolk University, 52-50, in the season opener for both teams at the Rodgers Recreation Center. Junior Kerri Beland (Attleboro, Mass.) got the Seahawk offense started with a 3-pointer after they trailed 5-0 in the first quarter. Sophomore Torie Scorpio (Cranston, R.I.) finished with a team-high 12 points, while Rams freshman Jenni-Rose DiCecco (Falmouth, Mass.) had a game-high 21 points. A DiCecco layup at 6:59 in the third quarter gave the Rams a five-point lead (29-24) before the Seahawks went on a 13-2 run to take command over three and a half minutes. Tara Burke's (Londonderry, N.H.) layup at 2:14 in the fourth quarter gave the Seahawks their largest lead, 50-40, but it would be their last field goal. Beland's free throws with seven seconds remaining were the difference as Suffolk scored 10 of the last 12 points.

Series and Streaks
Salve Regina leads the all-time series, 5-3, and has won the last two meetings - tonight's season opener and the season opener in 2010. The Seahawks and Rams have met in a season opener for the fourth time (most of any Salve Regina opponent) and first time since Nov. 16, 2010, when Salve Regina def. Suffolk, 72-40, in the Regan Gymnasium in Boston, Mass. Wednesday also marked just the fifth time in 36 years that Salve Regina women's basketball has opened its basketball season at home.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Suffolk freshman Jenni-Rose DiCecco (Falmouth, Mass.) scored a game-high 23 points including a 3-pointer in the final five seconds that drew the Rams within two, 52-50.
2. Salve Regina sophomore Torie Scorpio (Cranston, R.I.) scored a dozen points, including three 3-pointers, and contributed five rebounds and three assists.
3. Salve Regina junior Kerri Beland (Attleboro, Mass.) made two critical free throws (two-for-two from the line), finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. 

Key Stat of the Game
Salve Regina, which made 67.3 percent of its free throws last season - the fifth best mark in program history, made one of its first six tries from the stripe. The teams combined for nearly 50 3-point attempts, but both were under 25 percent from the arc; the Rams went 4-for-28 (14.3 percent) while the Seahawks finished 5-for-21 (23.8 percent).

Turning Point
A layup by Liv Pierce (Tyngsboro, Mass.) at 5:45 in the third quarter started a 13-2 run for the Seahawks. Beland had a layup and 3-pointer in the run while Pierce had three of her four baskets.

Quick Hits

• Georgia Bourikas (Hull, Mass.) scored 15 points on four of 13 from the floor, while making seven of eight free throws. She missed on all five 3-pointers.
• Alexis Hackett (Charlton, Mass.) led all players with 10 rebounds.
• Trailing by seven after one quarter, Salve Regina outscored Suffolk in the second quarter (17-11) and third quarter (15-10). The Rams had a 17-15 edge in the fourth quarter.
• Salve Regina had the edge off the glass with 45 rebounds; 32 caroms for Suffolk.
• After Beland's initial 3-pointer, the Rams went on a 7-0 run for their largest lead, 12-3 with 0:36 left in first quarter.
• Salve Regina wins its first opener since 2014 when the Seahawks defeated the Pride of Regis College, 66-60, in Waltham, Mass. (Nov. 15, 2014).

Next Up
Suffolk (0-1) plays the Bears of St. Joseph's of Brooklyn in the Roadrunner Tip-Off Tournament on Friday, November 17 (5:30 p.m.), hosted by Ramapo in Mahwah, N.J.; Salve Regina (1-0) travels to New London, Conn., to face the Bears of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for a 7 p.m. tip-off.