Women’s Basketball Suffers 67-55 Setback at Salve Regina

NEWPORT, R.I.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team dropped a 67-55 decision at Salve Regina Wednesday evening in the first league contest of the season.

The Lions fall to 4-2 on the year and 0-1 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference with the loss. The Seahawks improve to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in conference action with the win.

Tia Torio (Manteca, Calif.) paced the team with 11 points and five rebounds on the night. Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.) pitched in with 10 points and two steals off the bench. Seniesha Sekaquaptewa (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished with eight points and four boards while Amber Amortegui (Davie, Fla.) notched seven points.

After a back-and-forth opening quarter, the visitors narrowly trailed 13-12 heading into the second period.

Salve Regina established a six-point advantage with 8:06 remaining in the second frame as Torie Scorpio knocked down a jumper, 20-14.

The home team widened the gap to 33-20 with 2:35 left to play in the first half on a pair of free throws by Mary Rorke.

Eastern Nazarene cut the deficit to 33-25 just before the break as Shaylee Todani (Wahiawa, Hawaii) splashed a trey.

The Seahawks stretched their lead to 43-29 with 7:21 to go in the third on a three-pointer by Scorpio.

The Lions clawed back to pull to within three points with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter as Kayla Torio sank a free throw to complete a three-point play, 49-46.

Salve Regina carried a 52-46 advantage into the fourth frame after Rorke drained a three-pointer at the buzzer.

The guests narrowed the margin to 54-5-1 on a basket by Amortegui with less than eight minutes left to play in regulation.

The hosts reclaimed a double-digit lead with 2:10 to go on a free throw by Lauryn Becker, 63-53.

The Lions shot 42.0% from the floor in the game and connected on just 2-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc. The Seahawks concluded the contest with a field-goal percentage of 51.9% with 55.9% shooting from three-point range.

Scorpio led all players with 14 points while Kerri Beland tallied 11 points.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene heads to Beantown for a Commonwealth Coast Conference clash at Wentworth December 2.