Bears hold off Seahawk rally for 63-59 victory

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SEAHAWK WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RESULTS
Coast Guard 63, Salve Regina 59
Rodgers Recreation Center - Newport, Rhode Island
Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Summary
NEWPORT, R.I. - Junior forward Gill Gerton (Lorton, Va.) led Coast Guard Academy women's basketball to a season-opening 63-59 win against Salve Regina University at the Rodgers Recreation Center on Tuesday night. These two teams could meet again this weekend as both are participating in the Fairfield Inn and Suites Tournament hosted by UMass Dartmouth. Gerton had a game-high 17 points.

Series and Streaks
Salve Regina leads Coast Guard, 12-7, in the all-time series which began in 1982. Coast Guard was an original member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) along with Salve Regina, before the Bears departed, in 1987, for what is now the New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). The Seahawks have now lost their last two season-openers while the Bears have won their last two.

Three Stars of the Game

1. Coast Guard junior Gill Gerton (Lorton, Va.) - scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds, contributed two assists, three steals, and one blocked shot.
2. Salve Regina junior Mary Eden (So. Kingstown, R.I.) - led the Seahawks in scoring with 16 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:12 remaining that pulled her team within two points (61-59). The Seahawks had trailed by as many as 15 points (57-42) with under six minutes remaining in the game.
3. Coast Guard freshman Breanna Wood (Somerset, Mass.) - came off the bench to make six of eight field goals for 12 points, and grabbed nine rebounds to share game-high honors with Gerton.

Key Stat of the Game
From long distance, the Bears outgunned the Seahawks, 7-3, while Salve Regina stayed in the game with a 20-10 advantage in free-throws made.

Turning Point
With 4:14 remaining in the first quarter, Coast Guard trailed, 12-4, before going on a 23-5 run over a nine-minute span. Tied 15-15 after the first 10 minutes, the Bears scored the first eight points of the second quarter which included a 3-pointer from Jill Bray (Glastonbury, Conn.). Salve Regina junior Allyson Esielionis (Shirley, Mass.) stopped the scoreless run with a layup at 6:04 of the second.

Quick Hits

• Last season-opening win for Salve Regina came two years ago when then-junior Meaghan Harden scored a school record 45 points while surpassing the 1,000-point milestone to lift the Seahawks to a 66-60 victory over Regis College in the Brandeis College Tip-Off Tournament.
• Allyson Esielionis finished with 15 points on six of 13 from the floor. The junior captain also had six rebounds.
• Tara Burke (Georgetown, Mass.) led Salve Regina with seven rebounds.
• Jill Bray joined Gerton and Wood in double-figure scoring for the Bears with 13 points including three 3-pointers.
• Kerri Beland (Attleboro, Mass.) was perfect from the free-throw line (8-for-8).

Next Up
Salve Regina (0-1) - Friday, November 18 at UMass Dartmouth, 12 p.m. (Fairfield Inn and Suites Tournament)
Coast Guard (1-0) - Friday, November 18 versus Rivier, 2 p.m. (Fairfield Inn and Suites Tournament)