KEENE, N.H. - Junior Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) led a balanced offense with a game high 16 points to lead Salve Regina to a victory over Colby, 63-60, in first day action of the Keene State College Holiday Tournament. Keene State (3-6), which has dropped six of its last seven games, will face Colby (4-5) in Tuesday's consolation game at 1 p.m. Salve Regina (2-6) will go up against River (7-3) in the championship game at 3 p.m.

Salve Regina went to the locker room with a slim 30-29 lead following a first half that featured seven ties and four lead changes. The Seahawks-Mules game was decided in the final minutes of play. Freshman Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) found Pendergast down low for a lay-up to put the Seahawks up 56-50 with 5:24 to play.

Colby cut the lead to two points (59-57) on a three-pointer by freshman Carylanne Wolfington (Hallowell, Maine) with 1:46 to go. Harden hit a lay-up to put Salve Regina up 61-57. Senior Jacky McLaughlin (Medfield, Mass.) knocked down a three-pointer from the right baseline to cut the lead to one point (61-60) with 14 seconds on the clock. 

Fouled in the backcourt, Harden hit two free throws to push the Seahawks lead up to 63-60 with 5.4 seconds to play. Looking to tie the game, senior Diana Manduca (Portland, Me.) launched a three-point shot from four feet behind the arc, but her shot hit off the rim. 

In addition to Pendergast, three other players scored in double figures for the Seahawks. Harden had 14 points to go with seven rebounds, sophomore Brianna Del Valle (Belchertown, Mass.)scored 13 points, and senior Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) chipped with 11 points.

McLaughlin had 15 points and Wolfington finished with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds to lead the Mules. Manduca also had 14 points for Colby.

Salve Regina shot 42% from the field (22-53), just 22% from behind the arc (2-9) and 17-22 (77%) from the line. Colby was 23-57 (40%) from the field, connected on nine of 23 shots from three-point land (39%) and was 5-10 (50%) from the line.

In the first opening-round game, junior A.J. Guidi (Derry, N.H.) broke a 67-all tie with a three-pointer with 51 seconds to play and River University went to post a 72-67 come-from-behind victory over the Keene State College women's basketball team in an opening-round game of the KSC Holiday tournament at Spaulding Gym on Monday.

The loss overshadowed a career-high 23 point performance by Owl sophomore Christan Wojtas (Amherst, N.H.), who knocked down seven of her 11 shots from behind the arc, two shy of the school record of nine set by Mary Nesbit against Sacred Heart University back on Feb. 4, 1989.

Keene State made 13 three-pointers, just two shy of the school record set against Longwood (Va.) College on Dec. 18, 1988, but struggled at the line, hitting just four of 11 attempts (36%). Meanwhile, River was 28-35 from the line (80%).