BIDDEFORD, Maine - Seahawk senior Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) scored a game-high 16 points, leaving her two shy of 1,000 career points, and the Salve Regina University women's basketball team also came up short in its second-half comeback, falling to top-seeded University of New England, 69-63, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship Game.
The University of New England never trailed in the championship game and finished off the victory in front of more than 550 fans at the Harold Alfond Forum. Winners of 19 straight contests, the Nor'easters (24-4) earn the CCC's automatic bid into the field of 64 teams for the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, which will begin on Friday (Mar. 1) at 16 sites around the country. Big Blue will learn its fate during Monday's 2:30 p.m. selection show that can be seen LIVE on NCAA.com.
It will be the third time in four seasons that UNE has garnered a spot in the NCAA field. The Nor'easters claimed the league title in 2010, and received an at-large selection in 2012. Big Blue now has three CCC Championships to its credit in women's basketball, with the first coming in 2001.
Salve Regina awaits an invitation to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) post-season tournament, and perhaps an opportunity to host at the Rodgers Recreation Center. The Seahawks last played in ECAC action in 1995. Since 2002, Salve Regina has made seven trips to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships representing the CCC as its conference champion, including the previous two seasons.
Sophomore Kelly Coleman (Portland, Conn.) led the Nor'easters scoring effort with 15 points. Senior Beth Suggs (Bath, Maine) notched her 16th double-double of the year with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. First-years Sadie DiPierro (South Portland, Maine) and Alanna Vose (Cushing, Maine) each went for 13 points, combining to make 7-of-13 shots from the field, 3-of-5 treys, and 9-of-12 at the charity stripe.
Rookie Meghan Gribbin (Windham, Maine) chipped in with 10 points. Classmate Lauren Hayden (Chantilly, Va.) added seven points, seven rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
UNE out-scored Salve Regina by a 24-13 margin at the free throw line.
The Seahawks (17-11) were paced by Defensive Player of the Year Birrell who added nine assists and three steals to her game-high 16 points. The league's Rookie of the Year Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) totaled 14 points, while junior Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) and sophomore Brianna Del Valle (Belchertown, Mass.) scored 11 apiece and grabbed nine and seven boards, respectively.
The Nor'easters jumped out to a quick 6-0 cushion, before a 3-pointer by Birrell and a three-point play from Pendergast tied it up. It would be the only time all day that things were even on the scoreboard.
With UNE holding a 10-9 edge, Big Blue proceeded to use the ensuing six-plus minutes to reel off 18 unanswered points and assume a 28-9 lead with 6:22 left in the opening half. DiPierro sparked the run with her first triple of the contest, and Vose contributed six of her 12 first-half points on the tail end of the surge.
Salve Regina managed to cut the deficit to eight (28-20, 31-23), but Vose dropped in the last six points of the frame to give the hosts a 39-23 advantage at the break. The Nor'easters shot 50 percent (15-for-30) in the period, as opposed to the 28.6 percent (8-for-28) conversion rate of the Seahawks.
Gradually the margin dwindled in the second half, as SRU began to score the ball inside. Half (20) of the Seahawks' points after intermission came in the paint. A jumper by Harden and two free throws on consecutive trips down pulled Salve Regina to within two (53-51) by the 5:42 mark.
However, four free throws by Coleman on the next two possessions for UNE bumped the gap back up to six (57-51). The lead was no less than five the rest of the way.
As the last SRU shot missed and the rebound fell to Suggs, Nor'easters head coach Anthony Ewing could let out a sigh of relief. "We came out well, feeding off the energy of the crowd, and that really helped our defense in the first half," commented Ewing. "Things stalled a bit in the second, almost like we were trying to not lose... and Salve's a good team, so they took advantage of that. It certainly took us a little longer than I would've hoped to get out of that mindset."
With the home crowd chanting "Season's over!" near the visiting Seahawk bench, three-time conference champion head coach Cori Hughes reminded her players, "No it's not." Salve Regina made its bid to host ECAC first-round action and will learn its fate on Monday afternoon. If able to continue her basketball career, Birrell bids to become the 11th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone and hopes to add another championship to the Seahawk mantle.