Salve Regina redeems itself in OT, 84-76

NEWPORT, R.I. - After squandering a double-digit first-half lead, Salve Regina University men's basketball rallied from down four with under 30 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and take control for an 84-76 victory over visiting United States Coast Guard Academy.

Salve Regina has won three straight to improve to 3-2, and it ends Coast Guard's three-game win streak as the Bears dip to 3-2. The non-league contest featured two charter members of the original Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), founded in 1984.

Seahawk freshman Bryce Boggs (Hyde Park, Mass.), the CCC Rookie of the Week, led all players in scoring with his career-high 27 points, which included a slashing layup for the game-tying basket with five seconds left in regulation, and seven points in overtime.

Graduate student Isiah Pringle (Queens, N.Y.), who entered the game with 999 career points, swished his first shot of the game, a 3-pointer, which followed the opening basket of the contest, a layup from fellow graduate student Scott St. Lawrence (Litchfield, N.H.). Pringle became the 17th men's basketball player in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.

Boggs hit a layup at 14:31 for the first double-digit lead for the Seahawks (15-5), and later added a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws for their largest lead (20-7) with 13:15 left in the first half.

The Bears cut into that deficit before the first half ended. After layups by Adam Quinlan (East Walpole, Mass.) and Pringle matched the largest lead (33-20 with 5:32 left), Adrian Chuquillangui (Manassas, Va.) had an old-fashioned three-point play that started a 15-7 run for Coast Guard in the final five minutes.

Mark Krebs (Baldwin, Mo.) repeated the old-fashioned three-point play during the run for his only points of the contest, and Darius Adams (Nassau, Bahamas) three-peated the event to end the scoring with seven ticks left on the first half clock. The teams went into the break with a five-point difference, 40-35, in favor of the host Seahawks.

Adams led off the scoring in the second half with a layup. Rodney Morton (Malden, Mass.) responded with a 3-pointer, but the Bears had the game tied at the 13:16 mark (47-47) following the fourth different player converting an old-fashioned three-point play - Zak Bradley (Dover, Fla.).

The teams had four ties over the next two and a half minutes before Krebs followed an Adams' 3-pointer with a fastbreak layup at the 9:04 mark producing the Bears' largest lead, 58-53.

A 6-0 run by the Seahawks started with a Morton jumper at 8:51. St. Lawrence's layup at 7:51 regained the lead for Salve Regina.

Kevin Alvarez (Key Biscayne, Fla.) and Pringle exchanged 3-pointers before an 11-6 run for Coast Guard put the Bears up 72-68 with 32 seconds left in the second half. Ricky Rodriguez (Caracas, Venezuela) had three baskets including two threes from far corner during the run.

Eli Sponseller (North Pole, Alaska) had made one of two free throws before fouling out on the next Seahawk possession, putting Pringle on the line with 22 seconds left. The fourth-year player made both free throws before his foul put Rodriguez at the line for a one-and-one in a two-point game with 20.9 seconds left. Rodriguez' shot rolled off the rim and was rebounded by St. Lawrence as the Seahawks pushed up to the half court before calling timeout with 17 seconds remaining.

Boggs' game-tying drive was contested by the tallest player on the Coast Guard roster, the 6-foot 7-inch Bradley, but the Seahawk freshman was able to squeeze a shot up off the glass.

David Anderson (Goose Creek, S.C.) had a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer that went off the back rim.

In overtime, Alvarez' layup gave the Bears a 74-72 lead at the 4:22 mark. Boggs and Morton had the next two baskets, a layup and 3-pointer, respectively, and Salve Regina took the lead for good. Morton's three was the final field goal of the game for Salve Regina, at 3:13, but the Seahawks made seven of nine free throws in the extra period to seal the victory.

Pringle finished with 16 points and five rebounds while Morton also had five boards with 17 points. Boggs and Quinlan both had six rebounds while the latter finished with 12 points. St. Lawrence led the Seahawks with seven rebounds, and finished with eight points.

The Bears' bench outscored the Seahawks' bench, 37-to-4, led by Adams' team-high 18 points. Rodriquez threw in 13 points and Alvarez totalled 12 points. Sponseller also joined his mates in double-figure scoring with 10 points.

Salve Regina returns to the Rodgers Recreation Center after Thanksgiving break with a Saturday afternoon contest hosting intra-state rival Rhode Island College (1 p.m.). Coast Guard plays close to home at Mitchell College on Wednesday, December 3 (6 p.m.).