KEENE, N.H. - Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) scored a career-high 27 points to lead Salve Regina University women's basketball over Rivier College, 78-55, in the championship game of the Keene State College Holiday Tournament.
Birrell made it a double-double, the first of the season for the Seahawks, with a game-high 10-rebound effort as well. Her 12 field goals also mark a career high.
Salve Regina (3-6) led from the opening tap as Birrell hit a jumper six seconds into the first possession. The senior point guard followed with a layup right after a steal off the Raiders' first possession.
Junior Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) had an old-fashioned three-point play to boost the Seahawk lead to 7-0. Rivier (7-4) got on the board when Deanna Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) made a jump shot at 18:20.
Purcell added another basket after a pair of free throws from A.J. Guidi (Derry, N.H.) to close within one point. Salve Regina's outside threat freshman Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) sank her first 3-point attempt at 17:21 and then added two layups during a 15-4 run for the Seahawks.
Senior Sarah Averill (Newfields, N.H.) and sophomore Laura Anne Dinan (Monterey, Mass.) connected on a 3-pointer and two-point jumper on back-to-back posssessions in the final two-plus minutes of the first half, giving Salve Regina a 15-point lead (47-32) with 1:43 remaining. Birrell finished the first half scoring with a pair of free throw and Salve Regina had its highest first-half output (49 points) since a 49-46 lead over Roger Williams on February 4, 2009.
The Seahawks started the second half with a 13-2 run for their largest lead of the game (26 points) at 12:45, 62-36. Harden had three layups and a jumper for eight points during the run.
Birrell sank her only 3-point attempt at 8:08 and another 26-point advantage before Purcell started a 7-0 run for the Raiders. Five different Seahawks contributed to the scoring during an 11-8 run including a 3-pointer for junior Lisa Bucci (Irvington, N.Y.) in her first minutes of the season.Brianna Del Valle (Belchertown, Mass.), Allison Pigoga (Exeter, R.I.), and Taylor Windwer (Milton, Mass.) also scored along with Pendergast.
Harden and Pendergast both finished with 15 points apiece and were named to the all-tournament team while Birrell was selected Most Valuable Player.
Salve Regina returns to action on Saturday at Curry in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) contest.