Seahawks erase 20-point deficit in 2nd half but fall to Corsairs

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. - Four players reached double-digit point totals as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women's basketball team defeated visiting Salve Regina University, 65-61, in the 2011-12 season opener for both teams at the Tripp Athletic Center Tuesday evening.

Salve Regina sophomore forward Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass./Holderness HS) had a game-high 22 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the floor, with seven rebounds and two blocks. Senior center Lindsay Shorey (Ashland, Mass./Ashland HS) scored 12 points with seven rebounds while junior guard Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I./Scituate HS) added 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss. The Seahawks were 35.5% (22-of-62) from the field, and 70% (14-of-20) from the free-throw line.

Freshman guard Kelsey Garrity (Somerville, Mass./Somerville HS) led the Corsairs offensively with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, with seven rebounds, a game-high six steals, three assists and two blocks. Junior forward Colleen Moriarty (Canton, Mass./Canton HS) netted 15 points with a game-high nine rebounds and three blocks. Senior guard Stephanie Houtman (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford HS/Bridgewater State) shot 5-of-12 from the floor with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Sophomore forward Erika Bornemann (Canton, Mass./Canton HS) chipped in 10 points with five rebounds and a block. UMD shot 42.9% (27-of-63) from the floor, including 35.7% (5-of-14) from three-point range.

No more than three points separated the team in the opening minutes of play. A jumper by junior guard Sarah Averill (Newfields, N.H./Exeter HS) with 10:19 to play in the first half gave the Seahawks a 14-9 advantage. Over the next seven minutes, the Corsairs executed a 19-4 run, fueled by six points from both Moriarty and freshman guard Melissa Daigle (Rockland, Mass./Rockland HS), giving UMD a 28-18 lead with 3:07 remaining in the first half. The Corsairs allowed only two points in the final minutes of the half, taking a 34-20 lead into the break.

UMass Dartmouth continued their offensive surge going into the second half, and a jumper by Houtman with 16:33 remaining gave the Corsairs their largest lead of the game, 46-26. The Seahawks used the next eight minutes of play to chip away at the UMD lead. Down 52-36 with 11:47 on the clock, Pendergast scored 11 consecutive points in just over two minutes and a three-pointer by sophomore guard Lisa Bucci (Irvington, N.Y./Irvington HS) made the score 52-50 in favor of the Corsairs with 8:37 to play. Tied 56-56 at the 6:16 mark, the Corsairs closed the game on a 9-5 run, featuring four points from Garrity, to secure the 65-61 victory in the season opener.

The Corsairs improved to 1-0 with the victory, while the Seahawks dropped to 0-1 with the defeat. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they play Maine Maritime Friday evening at the Curry Tip-Off Tournament. Salve Regina will play Westfield State Friday night at the Keene State Tournament.