NEWPORT, R.I. – Reigning Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Week freshman Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) poured in a team-high 19 points to help Salve Regina to a 76-61 victory over visiting Nichols, Thursday evening. 

With the victory, the Seahawks improve to 9-6 on the season with a 6-2 CCC slate while pushing their winning streak to a season-high eight games. 

The lead changed hands four times and the score was tied twice in the opening 4:30 before Harden hit both free throws to give SRU a 10-8 lead. Salve Regina pulled ahead by as much as six points on free throws from sophomore Laura Anne Dinan (Monterey, Mass.) with 11:20 to play before the Bison began chipping away at the lead. 

A layup from sophomore Alexis Wegrzynek (Wilbraham, Mass.) kicked off a 5-0 run for Nichols. A jumper from freshman Chelsey Mahoney (Dracut, Mass.) gave the Bison their first lead, 21-20, since the 17:38 mark. Senior Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) put up a layup with 6:09 to play to give the Seahawks a 22-21 lead, one that they would not surrender for the rest of the game. 

With 1:50 left in the opening stanza, the Seahawks used an 8-2 run to close out the half and take a 39-29 lead into the locker room. 

The Bison would not back down, however, and outscored the Seahawks 15-6 over the opening five minutes of the second half to pull within one, 45-44. After a steal from freshman Kaitlyn Lendrum (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), Harden took a pass from Birrell and laid it in to give SRU a 47-44 lead. 

The two teams went back and fourth on the next five baskets, but Salve Regina hit two three's in the mix to go up, 55-48.  After a three pointer and layup from Harden made it 60-52 with 9:31 to play, the Seahawks went on a 12-2 tear over the next 5:32 to make it an 18-point game at 72-54. 

Sophomore Sarah Whitestone (Dalton, Mass.) and Wegrzynek hit a jumper and a layup on back-to-back possessions for NC with 2:51 to play to cut the Salve Regina lead to 72-58, but that would be as close as the Bison would come to the Seahawks. 

Senior Hayley Zophin (Framingham, Mass.) hit the tail end of a trip to the free throw line for the Bison's last score of the game before sophomore Brianna Del Valle (Belchertown, Mass.) converted a layup off a pass from Harden to bring the game's score to its final at 76-61. 

Harden's 19 points paced the Seahawks while four other Salve Regina's players hit double figures. Del Valle was close behind with 15 points and Dinan chipped in 14. Sophomore Cortney Rosenlund (Whitinsville, Mass.) added 11 points and Birrell rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10.  Birrell led all players with nine assists and seven steals in the contest.

Zophin led all players with 22 points and 11 rebounds on the day while Wegrzynek added 14 points for the Bison. 

Salve Regina returns to the hardwood when the Seahawks travel to CCC foe, Roger Williams on Saturday, January 19 for a 1 pm tip off.