NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's basketball team fell to visiting Salve Regina University, 75-69, in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play this afternoon at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons drop to 5-18 overall and 1-8 in conference action, while the Seahawks improve to 8-15 and 2-7.
Salve Regina dominated the boards, 55-40, and overcame a 4-18 (22.2%) first quarter shooting effort to finish with a 38.2% (26-68) figure for the contest. The visitors went to the line 26 times, while converting 18 shots for a 69.2% success rate. Wheaton shot 37.3% (28-75) for the game and was just 6-12 from the free throw line.
Junior forward Cheyenne Colbert (Brookline, N.H.) led the Lyons with 24 points and added seven boards, three assists and a blocked shot. Senior forward Regan Keyter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds to go with four assists, a steal and a game-high three blocks.
Senior forward Sofia Neary (Wayne, N.J.) posted a monster double-double of 25 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Seahawks and added two steals to her day, while first year guard Hannah Lauenstein (Delmar, N.Y.) contributed with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal. Sophomore forward Sophie Hjerpe (Northborough, Mass.) netted 10 points, grabbed five rebounds, came up with a steal and dished for an assist.
Colbert buried a three-pointer to give Wheaton a 43-42 edge at the 3:21 mark of the third quarter, but it was the home team's last lead of the day. Salve Regina ripped off 10 straight points and did not look back, taking a 52-43 advantage with 1:26 to play in the period. First year guard Sydney MacCalla (Middletown, N.Y.) converted a free throw for the Lyons for the final point of the quarter to make it 54-46 with one quarter to play.
The Seahawks opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run, including five points from Lauenstein, to increase their cushion to 61-48 with 7:43 to play in the game. Hjerpe later hit a triple to maintain Salve Regina's double-digit lead at 66-54 with 5:02 to go in the quarter. Wheaton battled back with a 12-4 stretch, fueled by eight points from Keyter, to cut the deficit to 70-66 with 46 ticks remaining in the contest. It was as close as the Lyons would get for the rest of the game.
The Seahawks opened the tilt with an 8-4 lead, before Wheaton put together a 12-3 run capped by a layup from first year forward Katelyn Cadmus (Pawacatuck, Conn.) to take a 16-11 margin after one quarter of play.
The Lyons increased their lead to 21-13 following a Keyter layup at 8:36 of the second quarter, before Salve Regina ran off 13 unanswered points, paced by five points from Lauenstein, to reclaim the lead at 26-21 with 4:54 left in the first half. First year forward Frankie Spadorcia (Braintree, Mass.) maintained the Seahawks' margin at 30-25 with 2:40 to play in the second quarter. Wheaton pulled even after a 7-2 run that was capped by a layup from senior guard Kennis Jasperson (Sacramento, Calif.) to make it 32-32 with 76 seconds remaining in the half. Salve Regina scored the final three points of the half to take a 35-32 margin into the intermission.
The Lyons scored eight of the first 10 points of the third quarter, including four points from MacCalla, to take a 40-37 lead at 6:56 of the quarter.
Wheaton returns to the court when it heads to New London, Conn. on Wednesday, February 18 to take on conference rival United States Coast Guard Academy at 6:00 p.m., while the Seahawks return to the hardwood on the same night when they host NEWMAC foe Mount Holyoke College at 7:00 p.m.
