Seahawks resume NEWMAC slate with road win against MIT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Wednesday, January 3, 2024) -- The Salve Regina University men's basketball team engineered a 21-point halftime lead, 51-30, and coasted to an 85-73 victory over MIT at the Rockwell Cage in NEWMAC action on Wednesday night.

Junior tri-captain Declan Walmsley (Franklin, Mass.) led all players with 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, all off the defensive glass. Salve Regina shot over 61 percent (21-of-34) in the first half and finished just a shade under 50 percent (34-of-69) for the game. The Seahawks nearly had twice as many rebounds (46 to 24) with 17 on the offensive side leading to 15 second-chance points.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Salve Regina 85, MIT 73
Records: Salve Regina (7-5, 1-2 NEWMAC), MIT (2-10, 1-2 NEWMAC)
All-Time Series: Seahawks pick up their first NEWMAC victory and first over Engineers since January 21, 1986. MIT leads the series, 4-2, meeting for the first time in 35 years before meeting again this season in 24 days.

SUMMARY:

• 1H - Isaac Dobie started the scoring with a 3-pointer on the Engineers' first possession before Clay Brochu followed with back-to-back layups. Declan Walmsley, James Jolly, and Miles Fiore had the next three baskets for Salve Regina who led by two, 19-17, at the 11:51 mark. From there, Jolly's consecutive layups started a 16-0 run for the Seahawks; Walmsley had a pair of treys during the stretch. Sean Seymour finished the first-half scoring with a layup with five ticks left on the clock. | Seahawks 51, Engineers 30
• 2H - Declan Walmsley's 3-pointer got the Seahawks up to 24-point advantage to start the half and James Jolly's fast-break layup made it a 27-point lead (61-34) at 14:13. Clay Brochu's 3-pointer at 7:28 had the Seahawks leading by 23 (75-52) before the Engineers finished the contest with a 21-10 run. | Seahawks 85, Engineers 73 

NOTEWORTHY:

• Declan Walmsley led all players with 23 points on 9-of-18 from the floor including four 3-pointers.
• Three other Seahawks joined Walmsley in double-digit scoring -- James Jolly (15), Sean Seymour (13), and Clay Brochu (10).
• Seymour, in a reserve role, and Jolly led the Seahawks with eight rebounds apiece.
• Jojo Powers returned to action for the first time in four weeks and contributed nine points off the bench.
• James Jolly matched his career-high with six assists; last done on Feb. 4, 2023, at University of New England.

QUOTE FROM COACH FOSTER:

"Our guys played very hard tonight, especially in the first half and were able to create high percentage shots. Our positive rebounding margin and paint points were big keys for us tonight. We need to build on our effort and tighten up our defense going forward in league play." -- Seahawk head coach Sean Foster '97

ON THE HORIZON:
The Seahawks return to NEWMAC competition with a home game against Springfield College on Saturday afternoon at the Rodgers Recreation Center.