NEWPORT, R.I. - Senior forward Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.) scored a game-high 18 points to lead Salve Regina University (5-0) to a 53-33 victory over visiting UMass Dartmouth (1-5) in non-league women's basketball action at the Rodgers Recreation Center.
The Seahawks limited the Corsairs to a season-low offensive output (33 points) which also was half their season scoring average (66.8 ppg). UMass Dartmouth had scored 89 points in a loss just two days ago.
Salve Regina started the game with a 10-0 outburst and then added another 8-0 run for a 23-7 lead at 7:41 in the first half. Phillips led all players with nine first-half points in just eight minutes of action.
Senior forward Victoria Audet (Broad Brook, Conn.) equaled a career-high nine points and added a career-best five steals. Sophomore point guard Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) also recorded five thefts and contributed 10 points. Phillips and Audet shared game-high rebounding honors with nine apiece.
UMass Dartmouth was led by freshman guard Keneisha Debnam (Dorchester, Mass.) who finished with 10 points on 5-for-6 from the floor. She also posted a team-high eight rebounds.
The Seahawks have now won four straight meetings with the Corsairs, the last three victories coming against former Salve Regina head coach Amanda Van Voorhis who led the Seahawks to four conference championships and four NCAA appearances during a recent six-season span. Current Seahawk head coach Cori Hughes, who won a title in her second season in 2008-09, has Salve Regina off to its best start since a program-best 6-0 beginning in the 1994-95 season.
Salve Regina hosts Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Saturday (3 p.m.) while UMass Dartmouth begins its Little East Conference (LEC) slate with a 1 p.m. game at Plymouth State.
Newspaper Box Score
Mass.-Dartmouth vs Salve Regina
12/02/10 7:00 pm at Newport, R.I. - Rodgers Rec. Ctr.
At Newport, R.I. - Rodgers Rec. Ctr.
SALVE REGINA 53, MASS.-DARTMOUTH 33
MASS.-DARTMOUTH (1-5)
Keneisha Debnam 5-6 0-2 10; Jessica Underwood 2-11 1-2 6; Colleen Moriarty
2-10 2-4 6; Erika Bornemann 2-11 0-0 5; Tashauna Ashmeade 1-8 2-2 4; Shannon
Singletary 1-2 0-0 2; Jackie Washington 0-1 0-0 0; Mykaliah Best 0-0 0-0 0;
Tahirah Gibson 0-0 0-0 0; Stephanie Houtman 0-2 0-0 0; Megan Sheehan 0-4 0-0
0; Felicishia Holmes 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-55 5-10 33.
SALVE REGINA (5-0)
Erin Phillips 8-17 1-2 18; Kaitlyn Birrell 5-10 0-0 10; Victoria Audet 4-8
0-0 8; Marissa Pendergast 2-4 2-3 6; Lisa Bucci 2-8 0-0 5; Olivia Browning
2-10 0-0 4; Kira Murphy 1-5 0-0 2; Sarah Averill 0-1 0-0 0; Taylor Windwer
0-0 0-0 0; Kimberly Horan 0-2 0-0 0; Allison Pigoga 0-2 0-0 0; Liane Barone
0-0 0-0 0; Meghan Averill 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-68 3-5 53.
Mass.-Dartmouth 16 17 33
Salve Regina 29 24 53
3-point goals--Mass.-Dartmouth 2-17 (Erika Bornemann 1-3; Jessica Underwood
1-6; Tashauna Ashmeade 0-3; Stephanie Houtman 0-2; Megan Sheehan 0-2;
Colleen Moriarty 0-1), Salve Regina 2-11 (Erin Phillips 1-4; Lisa Bucci 1-4;
Kira Murphy 0-3). Fouled out--Mass.-Dartmouth-None, Salve Regina-None.
Rebounds--Mass.-Dartmouth 41 (Keneisha Debnam 8), Salve Regina 49 (Victoria
Audet 9; Erin Phillips 9). Assists--Mass.-Dartmouth 3 (Stephanie Houtman 2),
Salve Regina 12 (Kaitlyn Birrell 4). Total fouls--Mass.-Dartmouth 9, Salve
Regina 11. Technical fouls--Mass.-Dartmouth-None, Salve Regina-None. A-212