Seahawks cool off Colonels, 65-53

NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University women's basketball ran its winning streak over Curry College to 22 straight after a 65-53 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) meeting at the Rodgers Recreation Center. The Seahawks and Colonels now have identical records through 15 games - both are 9-6 overall and 6-2 in CCC play.

Junior forward Shannon Griffith (West Hartford, Conn.) started the scoring at 18:28 to give Curry its only lead of the game. Salve Regina did not get on the scoreboard until a Laura Anne Dinan (Monterey, Mass.) layup at 16:45. Brianna Del Valle (Belchertown, Mass.) broke the tie with her layup 20 seconds later on a nice feed from Dinan.

Junior guard Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) scored three of the next four Seahawk baskets as Salve Regina had its first double-digit lead at 12:01 in the first.

Another Griffith layup was followed by foul shots for senior guard Kylie Beltz (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) as Curry trimmed its deficit to six points. Kerry White's (Windham, Mass.) fastbreak layup, assisted by Beltz, made the score 19-13 in favor of Salve Regina. The home team then went on a 9-0 run with a 3-pointer for Harden and the layups for Del Valle (two) and Dinan (one).

Salve Regina had its largest lead of the game, 15 points, at 3:34 in the first, before the visitors finished the opening period with an 8-2 run.

Samantha Corcoran (Hampton, N.H.) had the first basket of the next period before Harden and Beltz exchanged 3-pointers. Harden's free throws at 11:50 put the Seahawks up by 13 (46-33), but the Colonels scored nine points in one minute, 26 seconds, to close within four (46-42). White went four-for-four from the charity stripe, scoring points with the clock stopped.

Salve Regina outscored Curry, 9-3, over the next four minutes and returned to a double-digit lead with Allyson Esielionis' (Shirley, Mass.) jumper at 3:46 (55-45).

The Colonels could only get as close as six points in the final three minutes. Harden had an old-fashioned three-point play at 1:26 to put the final margin in double figures.

Harden had a game-high 23 points and pulled down eight boards. Jillian Woodward (Orono, Maine) led all players with a dozen rebounds. Dinan (17) and Del Valle (14) also scored in double figures for Salve Regina.

Corcoran had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds. Griffith also finished with 13 points.

Salve Regina plays at Western New England on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.) while Curry, losers of two straight, hosts first-place and two-time defending champion University of New England.