NEWPORT, R.I. - Sophomore forward Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) scored a career-high 27 points including the go-ahead baseline jumper, breaking a 48-48 tie, as visiting Wentworth Institute of Technology defeated Salve Regina University women's basketball, 56-51, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at Rodgers Recreation Center.
The Leopards improve to 6-11 overall and 3-8 in CCC play while the Seahawks slip to 9-9 overall and 7-4 in the conference. Wentworth wins for only the sixth time in 48 meetings with Salve Regina; five of those six wins have come in Newport including the Leopards' last win against the Seahawks before tonight - January 31, 2008. Current Wentworth assistant coach and former Seahawk player, Erin Phillips was a freshman on the squad when Wentworth came to the Rodgers Recreation Center and won, 67-56, for the fifth time in the series.
Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.), Wentworth's leading scorer, and Rogers put the Leopards up 4-0 before Laura Anne Dinan (Monterey, Mass.) and Marissa Pendergast (Medfield, Mass.) knotted the game at 4-4 by the 17:28 mark.
The Leopards went on a 16-4 run for their largest lead of the game, 20-8, at 9:22. Kerr and Rachel Camara (Fall River, Mass.) both had 3-pointers during the run.
The Seahawks cut eight points off the deficit with a 10-2 run, Pendergast responsible for six of those points.
Rogers, who came into tonight's contest averaging 7.7 points per game, led all players at the half with 11 points for a 26-18 Leopard lead.
Dinan had the first three Seahawk baskets of the second half as Salve Regina opened the next period with a 16-4 run. Back-to-back layups from freshman Jillian Woodward (Orono, Maine) gave Salve Regina its first lead, 32-30, at the 13:37 mark.
A layup from Madelyn Brackett (Coopersville, Mich.) pushed the Seahawk lead to four. The teams played 14-14 ball for the next five minutes, with sophomore Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass.) scoring 12 of the 14 Seahawk points, and Salve Regina maintained its four-point lead, 48-44.
Four free throws from Rogers knotted the game at 48-all near the two minute mark. Both teams had opportunities to take the lead, but the tiebreaker came with 56 seconds left on the game clock from Rogers' baseline jumper.
A Dinan jumper missed wide to the right and Wentworth was able to increase its lead from the free-throw line. Rogers made 11-of-12 from the line and eight of 16 from the floor; she recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Kerr finished with 14 points for the visitors who return to Boston for a two-game home stand, first against Gordon on Saturday and then University of New England on Tuesday. Megan McLaughlin (Southington, Conn.) had four assists and four rebounds along with six points.
Pendergast recorded her team-leading ninth double-double, scoring a team-high 17 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. Harden added 14 points and Dinan deposited 10 points for Salve Regina. Brianna Del Valle (Belchertown, Mass.) dished out a team-best three assists.
Salve Regina plays at Nichols College on Saturday (12 p.m.).
