Wildcats close out with win at Rodgers Rec. Ctr., 44-39

NEWPORT, R.I. (January 4, 2020) -- Salve Regina University women's basketball took a six-point lead (26-20) late in the 3rd quarter, but the visiting Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University (8-5) fought back for a 44-39 final at the Rodgers Recreation Center in non-league action.

Both teams had a pair of players reach double figures in points with 11 for seniors Tiondra Hands (Boynton Beach, Fla.) of the Wildcats and Torie Scorpio (Cranston, R.I.) of the Seahawks while juniors Marissa Cottrell (New Britain, Conn.) and Mary Rorke (Norton, Mass.) finished with 10 points for Johnson & Wales and Salve Regina (0-12), respectively.

The Wildcats win for only the second time in 10 meetings with the Seahawks, but both victories have come in Newport (previously in 2015).

Neither team could score in the first three minutes of either of the first two quarters. Gabby Sousa's (Hudson, N.H.) 3-pointer accounted for the only Seahawk points in the first 10 minutes. She hit her only other trey on a last-second heave in the 4th quarter for the final score.

From the closing minute plus of the 2nd quarter to six-plus minutes into the 3rd quarter, Salve Regina outscored Johnson & Wales, 17-4, over a 7:27 span to take a six-point lead. Rorke had two free throws, a trey and a two-point jumper for seven points during the run. After Rorke's second trey gave the Seahawks a five-point lead (36-31) with 4:01 remaining, the Wildcats had a 13-0 run with six points (including four free throws) coming from senior Tera-nay Lee (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Salve Regina returns to Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action when it travels to Boston to face Wentworth Institute of Technology on Wednesday.