Providence, R.I.-Senior guard Cynthia Gaudet (Coventry, RI) tallied 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Rhode Island College women's basketball team used a tenacious defensive effort to top the Salve Regina Seahawks, 61-52, at The Murray Center on Tuesday night.

RIC (5-2) took advantage of its opportunities from beyond the three-point arc in the win over SRU (2-4), as the Anchorwomen finished 8-for-18 from the perimeter with senior guard Stephanie Coro (North Providence, RI) knocking down four trifectas. Coro finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five steals in the win, while junior guard Ashley O'Dell (Lincoln, RI) netted 10 points to go along with six boards, four assists and three steals.

After both teams exchanged turnovers through the first few minutes, it was the Seahawks who took an early, 6-4, lead on a basket from sophomore forward Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, MA) with 15:10 left on the clock. Yet, the Anchorwomen responded with a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to make it, 19-6. The scoring spree was highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from O'Dell and capped off with a trey from Coro with 11:16 remaining in the half.

A few minutes later, the Anchorwomen took their largest lead of the first half after another three by Coro gave RIC a 14-point lead with 9:56 left to play in the frame. However, the Seahawks bounced back with a 10-2 run over the next five minutes, cutting the deficit to just four points with 4:13 on the clock. Leading, 24-20, junior forward Melanie Cline (North Scituate, RI) answered the bell as she banked home a longball from the top of the key to extend the lead to seven. The Anchorwomen eventually went into the half with a 32-22 lead over their Ocean State-rivals.

Both squads traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second half until Rhode Island College slowly began to pull ahead. The Anchorwomen took a 16-point lead with 12:13 remaining on another three from Coro, making it 48-32. After a couple baskets by Salve Regina, RIC again increased its lead to 16 with 7:56 left to play on a mid-range jumper from Cline. However, four points from Pendergast over the next few minutes cut the Salve deficit to just 10 with 4:10 on the clock. The Seahawks cut it to nine after a lay-in from freshman guard Laura Anne Dinan (Monterey, MA) with 1:33 remaining, but that would be the closest the visitors would come as the Anchorwomen closed out the game.

Pendergast led the Seahawks with 16 points, six rebounds and four steals, while junior guard Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, RI) added 11 points, seven boards seven assists, and four steals. Senior guard Kira Murphy (New Boston, MA) and senior forward Lindsey Shorey (Ashland, MA) each added six points for Salve in the loss, with Shorey contributing seven rebounds.

After being held scoreless in the first half, senior forward Rachel Riley (Coventry, RI) notched eight points to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds. Junior forward Courtney Burns (Rockland, MA) also tallied eight points, while Cline added five points and a pair of blocks.

The defensive efforts of both teams led to some sloppy offense, as the two squads combined for 60 turnovers. The Anchorwomen finished with 18 steals as a team, while holding their opponent to 34 percent from the floor. 

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will resume Little East Conference play at Eastern Connecticut on Saturday, Dec. 10 (1 p.m.).