Salve Regina wins seventh straight; Seahawks defeat Bison, 60-55

DUDLEY, Mass. - Salve Regina University women's basketball held off Nichols College in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference game Wednesday evening, defeating the host Bison, 60-55. The Seahawks made a five-point halftime lead stand as they win their seventh game in a row, improving to 12-3 overall and remain unbeaten in the TCCC at 4-0. Nichols falls to 6-9 overall and 0-4 in TCCC games.

Nichols senior guard Ashley Robidoux (Milford, Mass.) led all scorers with 18 points, adding seven rebounds and three assists. Kristina Lindgren (Sturbridge, Mass.) added 11 points and two steals, while senior forward Jessica Nelson (North Providence, R.I.) chipped in with 10 points and six boards.

Sophomore guard Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) led the Seahawks with 13 points, a game-high six assists and three blocks, while senior forward Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.) added 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals. First year guard Taylor Windwer (Milton, Mass.) got in on the double-digit scoring with 10 points, and first year forward Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) led all rebounders with eight to go with six points.

A 17-5 Salve Regina run midway through the opening half broke the game open to give the visitors a 23-12 lead, but Nichols held the Seahawks to one point over the next two minutes while chipping their lead down to four. That was as close as the Bison would get in the frame, however, as the Seahawks carried a 32-27 lead into the break.

Salve Regina led by as many as nine in the second half, and Nichols played catch-up the entire stanza, cutting it to a two-point lead with five minutes to play after an 8-2 run. The Seahawks used a second-chance layup and a Pendergast three-pointer to build their lead back up to seven with 3:21 left in the game, but back-to-back three-pointers from Nichols senior Andrea Ferris (Windsor, Mass.) and Robidoux brought Nichols within one at the 1:51 mark, 56-55. Birrell had two key blocks down the line to keep Nichols off the board, and Windwer hit two jumpers to close out the game at the 60-55 final.

Salve Regina committed just nine turnovers in the game, and converted Nichols' 19 into 16 points. The Bison outrebounded their visitors by a slim 41-39 margin, but commanded the defensive glass at a 30-24 clip.

Nichols hosts Colby-Sawyer Saturday at 2 p.m. in a TCCC matchup. The Seahawks travels to Western New England College Saturday for a 1 p.m. TCCC game.

Courtesy of Nichols sports information