NEWPORT, R.I. - Top-seeded Salve Regina University women's basketball (24-3) won its 19th straight game with a 56-42 decision over No. 5 Regis College in a semifinal of The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Championships at the Rodgers Recreation Center. The Seahawks will host the No. 2 seed, University of New England (21-6), in the TCCC championship game at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Salve Regina freshman forward Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) came off the bench to lead all scorers with 19 points.
Seahawk senior forward Victoria Audet (Broad Brook, Conn.) grabbed an offensive rebound and made a layup at the 17:45 mark for the game's first basket. Senior forward Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.), the league's Player of the Year, followed with a jumper on the next Seahawk possession.
Regis (16-11) got its first basket on a 3-pointer from freshman guard Teresa Busiek (Arlington, Mass.) at the 16:27 mark. After another Audet layup, Pride senior forward Sarah McNult (Hampstead, N.H.) collected a pair of layups during a 5-1 Regis run, giving the visitors their largest lead (10-7) at the 12:20 mark.
Phillips drilled the first of her season-high three 3-pointers to tie the score at 10-all. After Pendergast produced a pair of free throws and a layup, Regis junior guard Stephanie Crawford (Rockland, Mass.) scored all the Pride points during a 9-5 run to forge the game's fourth tie (19-19) at the 6:09 mark.
Phillips again answered with a 3-pointer, added a free throw, and freshman guard Lisa Bucci (Irvington, N.Y.) scored a layup for Salve Regina's largest lead of the first half (25-19) with 4:23 left. Alex Chace (Easton, Mass.) cut that deficit in half with a 3-pointer and then freshman forward Claire Ramonas (Portland, Maine) followed a Pendergast free throw with back-to-back driving layups for the game's fifth and final deadlock (26-26).
Pendergast finished the first-half scoring with two free throws and a layup for a 30-26 Seahawk advantage at the break.
Salve Regina began the second frame with a 15-3 run featuring four layups for Pendergast. All-TCCC sophomore point guard Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, R.I.) scored a layup at the end of that run for Salve Regina's largest lead (45-29).
After Crawford made three free throws, Seahawk senior guard Kimberly Horan (Webster, Mass.) made it a 16-point lead again with her 3-pointer in front of the home bench. Ramonas, Crawford, and McNult each had layups during an 8-0 run the cut the margin in half (48-40) with 4:59 left.
Phillips, who finished with 18 points, had the last two field goals of the game with a 3-pointer (3:21) and a break away layup (2:00). All-TCCC junior forward Lindsay Shorey (Ashland, Mass.) finished the scoring with a pair of free throws. Shorey, who like Pendergast came off the bench, blocked six Pride shots and collected nine rebounds to tie her fellow reserve for the team-high honors.
Crawford had a double-double for Regis (16 points, 10 rebounds) which was led by McNult on the glass (18 boards).
Salve Regina returns to the TCCC championship game for the second time in the last three years (won it at Endicott College in 2009) and hosts the title game for the first time since 2003. The Seahawks, winners of five conference titles since 2002, have won their last three championships on the road.