Salve Regina to face Middlebury in consolation

CASTINE, Maine - Maine Maritime and Tufts advanced to the finals of the Fifth Annual Mariner Classic, hosted by Maine Maritime Academy. The Mariners defeated Salve Regina 51-42 in the first semifinal, while Tufts handed familiar foe, Middlebury, a 78-36 defeat.

Maine Maritime (4-4) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to knock off Salve Regina (3-5). Tufts (8-2) never trailed Middlebury (3-5) in the wire-to-wire win.

Maine Maritime got double-doubles from Sam Goda (Eliot, Maine) and Leah Jackson (Dedham, Maine) in the opener. Goda posted 18 points and 14 rebounds and is now 18 away from 1,000 in her career. She scored 10 of her points on 11 trips to the line, all in the second half. Jackson scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in the second half to finish the game with 10 points and 13 boards. Maggie Smith (Bath, Maine) scored 11 for MMA.

Lindsay Shorey (Ashland, Mass.) paced Salve Regina with 13 points, while Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) contributed 11 points and seven boards. Alison Pigoga (Exeter, R.I.) also pulled down seven rebounds.

The Mariners defense limited the Seahawks to a 6-of-33 effort from the floor in the second half. After watching Salve stretch the lead to a dozen after their first possession of the second half, MMA embarked on a five-minute, 11-0 run to get within a point, 27-26. The Mariners finally tied it up on a Jackson jumper in the paint with 9:44 left in regulation. She gave the Mariners their first lead of the night with a reverse layup 1:05 later. 

The game was tied 38-38 when a Goda layup and one gave the Mariners the lead for good. She extended it to a five-point game on the next possession and then hit five-of-six free throws down the stretch to put the game on ice.

Tufts saw four players score in double figures, including three starters. Bre Dufault (Hampden, Mass.) paced the Jumbos with 16 points on a 7-of-10 effort to go with six rebounds. Katie Barnosky (Huntington Station, N.Y.) posted 13 points and Tiffany Kornegay (Carver, Mass.) added 10. Collier Clegg (Evanston, Ill.) delivered a dozen from the bench. Barnosky and Hayley Kanner (Scarsdale, N.Y.) each pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, while Kornegay and Collier each hauled in six. Barnosky posted five assists, while Kornegay added four. 

Middleury got eight points from Tracy Borsinger (Chatham, N.J.), while Maddie Moreau (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) contributed six points and four rebounds. Brittany Perfetti (Clifton Heights, Pa.) posted seven points, three assists and as many steals.

Tufts led the final 33:56, opening that stretch with a 9-0 run. The lead was in double-digits for the final 27:49. The Jumbos owned the glass, grabbing 48 rebounds to the Panthers 23. Tufts turned 19 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points and scored 28 points on Middlebury's 18 turnovers.

Salve Regina will face Middlebury in Tuesday's consolation game at 2 p.m. The Mariner Classic Championship, featuring Maine Maritime and Tufts, is set for a 4 p.m. tip.