NEWPORT, R.I. - The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Player of the Year in women's basketball, Salve Regina University senior forward Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.), led her top-seeded team to its school record 20th straight victory, a 76-74 decision over No. 2 seed University of New England, giving the Seahawks the 2011 TCCC Championship.
Phillips scored a season and game-high 30 points, one shy of her career high, while also notching a double-double with a game-high 13 rebounds.
Kimberly Horan (Webster, Mass.) got the scoring started with a 3-pointer in the first minute. After a Phillips free throw gave Salve Regina (25-3) an early six-point lead (8-2), Nor'easter senior guard Carrie Bunnell (Barnet, Vt.) led the visitors on a 12-4 run over five minutes with two 3-pointers and a layup.
Phillips followed with a jumper and a 3-pointer before freshman guard Lisa Bucci (Irvington, N.Y.) sank a short jumper for a three-point lead (19-16). Bunnell responded again with a 3-pointer to tie the score.
Bunnell broke the tie briefly with a layup before Seahawk senior tri-captain Olivia Browning (Trumbull, Conn.) swished a pair of free throws. UNE sophomore forward Beth Suggs hit a jumper for a 25-24 Nor'easter advantage, but Salve Regina finished the first frame with a 12-7 run.
The first half featured three ties and eight lead changes. The lead changed hands four more times in the second stanza which also had three more ties.
Horan rebounded her own 3-point miss and scored a layup to start the second half. Trailing by six, the Nor'easters went on a 13-2 run to open their largest lead of the game (45-40) with 16:27 remaining. Junior forward Margo Russell (Madison, Maine) ignited the burst with a 3-pointer.
Salve Regina went on a 12-3 run of its own, led by Lindsay Shorey (Ashland, Mass.) who scored half the points. Phillips hit a 3-pointer at the end of the run and the Seahawks had a four-point lead (52-48) with 11:54 remaining.
Later, a 14-4 run gave Salve Regina its largest lead of the game (68-56) with just under six minutes remaining. Horan and Phillips both contributed 3-pointers during the stretch.
Bunnell and Russell each had a 3-pointer during an 8-0 run for University of New England (21-7) to close within four points (68-64) with 4:16 remaining.
Sophomore point guard Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) hit her only basket of the game to stop the Nor'easter run. Phillips grabbed a Shorey miss and put it right back for a six-point lead (72-66) with 1:42 left. After Russell made one of two free throws with under a minute left, Phillips had a break away layup with an assist from Horan for a seven-point lead (74-67) with 41 second left.
Russell then made all three free throws after getting nicked in the act of shooting a trey. A Shorey free throw made it a five-point game (75-70) before Russell made one of two again. Shorey grabbed the Russell miss but was whistled for traveling.
UNE junior guard Kelley Paradis (Newport, Maine) rebounded a 3-point miss and layed it in to close the gap to two points (75-73) with 22 ticks left. After Russell rebounded a missed Seahawk free throw, Bunnell earned a trip to the line while grabbing an offensive rebound. The junior made the second of her two attempts for a one-point game.
Phillips made the final score 76-74 with her free throw at the other end. Russell grabbed the miss on the second attempt and dribbled up court before missing on a driving attempt on the left side.
Salve Regina earns its sixth trip to the NCAA Women's Basketball Championships since 2002.