NEWPORT, R.I. - Freshman guard Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) scored a career-high 26 points to lead all players as Salve Regina University women's basketball won its fifth straight, 70-48 over visiting Western New England University, and head coach Cori Hughes earned her 100th victory as a Seahawk.
Hughes, who previously coached at Daniel Webster College, raised her career win total to 139.
"I'm grateful and lucky that in my time here at Salve, I have had not only many excellent players, but also women like the ones on this year's team: coachable, tough, hard-working, good kids. They are the reason I am fortunate enough to reach this milestone – the credit all goes to them."
Salve Regina improves to .500 (6-6; 3-2 CCC) for the second time this season. The Seahawks were swept in regular season action last year with the Golden Bears (6-7; 3-3 CCC), but drew a homeCommonwealth Coast Conference playoff meeting with Western New England and won 74-48 in the conference semifinal before winning their second straight title two days later.
In the first seven minutes of tonight's contest, the teams traded leads eight times and tied once. Following a Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) layup at 18:39, Harden's first 3-pointer gave the Seahawks their first lead, 5-4, at 17:36.
After Brianna Del Valle (Belchertown, Mass.) sank a pair of free throws at 14:20 for an 11-10 Seahawk lead, Western New England senior guard Emily Savino (Ellington, Conn.) hit a 3-pointer to start a 14-4 run for the Golden Bears. Savino had two more baskets during that run that included a 3-pointer from freshman guard Sarah Shields (Hamden, Conn.).
Savino's jumper at 6:59 duplicated the visitors' largest lead, 26-17, before Salve Regina finished the first half with an 18-7 run.
Sophomore guard Cortney Rosenlund (Whitinsville, Mass.) came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points, all in the first half. Her 3-pointer at 6:38 started the run which ended with an old-fashioned three-point play from junior forward Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.)with six seconds left in the period.
Harden and freshman Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) traded baskets, three apiece, in the first 3:50 of the second half. Shelby Van Huysen's (Killingworth, Conn.) 3-pointer at 14:17 forged the final deadlock of the game (43-43) before Birrell and Del Valle made back-to-back layups. Harden answered another Van Huysen trey with her own before Shields scored the last points for Western New England at 11:31 in the second.
Salve Regina finished the game on a 20-0 run.
"I was very pleased with our defensive effort in the second half – especially the last 10 minutes. To hold a team of WNEU's caliber to 15 points in a half is quite an accomplishment. Meaghan Harden again had a tremendous offensive game, and Cort came off the bench strong, and really kept us in it in the first half. And lastly, Marissa really got it together after a tough start and played some really inspired ball – adding nine steals to her 14 points."
Six of Pendergast's steals came in the second half where she also scored half of her 14 points. Vujs finished with a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) as Western New England outrebounded the Seahawks, 43-to-31. Savino had a team-high 13 points for the visitors.
Salve Regina plays Gordon at home on Saturday with Bobb Angel providing the call on WADK-AM 1540 and simulcasting on the Seahawks' Ustream channel - http://www.salveathletics.com/sports/wbkb/livevideo. Western New England travels to Quincy, Mass., for its CCC contest with Eastern Nazarene.