Seahawks take conference opener from AMCATS

PAXTON, Mass. - Led by Erin Phillips'(Morristown, N.J.) 18 point, 14 rebound effort, the Salve Regina University women's basketball team defeated Anna Maria College, 79-34, at The Fuller Activities Center to open up conference play on Saturday afternoon. The win improves the Seahawks to 9-3 (1-0 TCCC), while the loss drops the AMCATS to 6-7 (0-1 TCCC). In addition to the aforementioned Phillips, Lindsay Shorey (Ashland, Mass.) and Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) also played well for the visitors, as Shorey added 17 points and five blocks, while Pendergast contributed six points and 11 rebounds. Alison McCarthy (Lynn, Mass.) paced the AMCATS with a team-high 11 points, while Chelsea Blair (Holland, Mass.) added five points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. Anna Maria opened the game on an 8-2 run, getting two three-pointers by Alison McCarthy. However AMCAT turnovers proved costly as Salve Regina capitalized off the mistakes, outscoring Anna Maria 17-6 on points off turnovers and outshooting the AMCATS 52%-23% from the field. Erin Phillips and the Seahawks made their presence felt in the paint in the first-half, as Phillips led all players with 13-points and eight rebounds in the opening period, while Salve Regina outscored the AMCATS 28-6 in points in the paint en-route to a 39-21 first-half lead. Lindsay Shorey also played well in the first-half, adding nine points on a perfect 4-4 from the field while adding four blocks. McCarthy contributed nine of her 11 points on three treys during the frame. Salve Regina opened up the second-half on a 23-2 run, marching their way to a convincing 79-34 victory. The Seahawks outshot Anna Maria 50%-14% from the field in the second-half, while continuing to control the paint. Pendergast added eight of her 11 rebounds in the second half, while Meghan Averill (Newfields, N.H.) led all scorers with nine-points shooting a perfect 3-3 from downtown. Both teams continue conference play January 11th at 6:00 pm with Salve Regina hosting Regis, while the AMCATS travel to face Gordon.