Salve Regina rallies at Gordon for 62-57 victory

WENHAM, Mass. - Salve Regina University women's basketball came from behind to edge Gordon College, 62-57, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday. 

After Gordon opened the game with an 8-2 run over four minutes of action, the Seahawks took the next four minutes to go on a 7-2 run of their own to close the gap to 10-9. The Scots then stretched the lead again to seven points (19-12) behind key offensive conversions from freshmen Leanna Tallamy (Wantage, N.J.), Aly Towle (Rochester, N.H.), and Abigail Biggar (Beverly, Mass.).

Copying the previous trend, however, Salve Regina battled right back to eventually overtake the lead at 2:42 following a fast-break layup from Marissa Pendergast (So./Medfield, Mass.). Both teams traded leads in the waning minutes but it was the Scots who carried a 30-27 advantage into the locker room after a pair of clutch buckets from Becca Berman (So./Thousand Oaks, Calif.) down the stretch.

Despite the momentum generated at the tail end of the first half by the Scots, Salve Regina came out of the gates in the second to tie it up immediately on a 3-pointer from Kira Murphy (Sr./New Boston, N.H.). Though Towle would answer right back with a three of her own, the Seahawks responded on the offensive to overtake the lead with 15:51 on the clock.

Though the Scots would challenge for the lead for the remainder of the game, they were never able to get ahead of their guests, eventually ceding the five-point loss to the now 7-6 Seahawks.

Tallamy finished the afternoon with a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double, while Towle had an impressive outing with 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.

Salve Regina's Pendergast rounded out the win with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, while Murphy and Lindsay Shorey (Sr./Ashland, Mass.) posted 14 and 12 points, respectively. Additionally, Kaitlyn Birrell (Jr./Hope, R.I.) netted seven and dished a game-high 10 assists.

The Scots return to the court on Tuesday, January 17 as they travel to face crosstown CCC rival Endicott College at 6 p.m. Salve Regina will host Wentworth and its assistant coach Erin Phillips, 2010-11 CCC Player of the Year for the conference-champion Seahawks, on the same day at 6 p.m.