20-0 run keys a CCC victory for the Seahawks

MILTON, Mass. - Tied at 23-all in the opening 20 minutes, Salve Regina University men's basketball finished the first half with a 26-3 run to cruise to a 23-point victory (87-64) over Curry College in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at the Katz Gymnasium.

The Seahawks (5-7 overall, 1-2 CCC) shot 52.6 percent in the first half and put up 49 points. Freshman Mikey Spencer (Abington, Mass.) led all scorers with 23 points and shot 5-for-8 from three-point range. Sophomore Cameron Collins (Oakdale, Conn.) also finished in double figures with 16 while adding six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Sophomore Jonathan Friberg (North Attleboro, Mass.) added a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Kevin Kelly (Valhalla, N.Y.) pitched in 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and one steal to round out the starters in double figures. Freshman Mike Palmieri (Bristol, Conn.) paced the reserves with 12 points off the bench.

Junior Spencer Feng (Keene, N.H.) led the Colonels (1-12 overall, 0-4 CCC) with 11 points points on 3-for-8 shooting and added two rebounds and one assist. Sophomore RJ Hadfield (Warwick, R.I) and junior Jared Thorpe-Johnson (Dorchester, Mass.) chipped in with 10 points apiece while junior Dwyane Boothe (Jamaica, N.Y.) registered a season-high 10 points.

After Salve Regina jumped out to an early 6-5 advantage after a layup from Spencer, Curry responded with a 5-0 run to snag a 10-7 lead. Salve Regina would see its lead be stretched to five over the next few minutes, but the Colonels pulled back to tie the contest at 15 with 10:58 remaining in the first half following a three-pointer from Hadfield.

The game would turn in favor of the Seahawks in the following minutes as following a Curry timeout at the 7:36 mark, Salve Regina would grab the lead and never look back. They embarked on a 15-0 run to extend the Colonel deficit to 14 (37-23, 3:07 left in the first half.) Curry halted the run when Stein converted an and-one. The Seahawks then outscored Curry 12-0 over the final 2:44 to carry a 49-26 lead into the break.

The strong play for Salve Regina continued in the second half as the visitors were able to stretch the lead to 35 on a layup from junior Andrew Bronstein (Needham, Mass.), 65-30. The Colonels made a late scoring run to pull the deficit to with 26 with 1:39 left in regulation on a layup by Boothe.

Feng and Boothe scored in the final minute, but that was not enough as the Seahawks came away with the 23-point victory, 87-64.

Salve Regina shot exactly 54 percent for the game that included a 10-for-18 clip from beyond the arc. Curry checked in at 37.7 percent and went 10-for-32 from downtown.

Curry continues a season-long three-game home stand on Thursday, January 10 when it hosts the University of New England at 7:30 p.m. Salve Regina returns to action on Saturday, January 5 as they will host Wentworth at 3 p.m.