The visitors had their largest lead of the night (nine points) when Cormier sank a pair from the charity stripe with 1:44 remaining in the game (51-42). Roger Williams maintained possession after the Seahawk technical foul, but Salve Regina forward Chris Collier [Jr./Exeter NH] drew a charge immediately after the ball was in-bounded.
Salve Regina guard Matt Coute [So./Somerset MA] cut the deficit to six with his first three-pointer of the game (1:32 remaining) and then Roger Williams was unable to in-bound their next possession resulting in a team turnover. Coute hit his second three (1:15 remaining) to cut the deficit to three (51-48).
Cormier made two more free throws and then following a missed three-pointer from Coute, Cormier returned to the line but made only the first. Matt Grendal [Fr./Foxboro MA] rebounded the missed free throw and the ball ended up in Coute’s hands again for another three (39 seconds remaining) and a three-point game (54-51). Despite a denying pressure defense, the Hawks were able to get the ball safely in Cormier’s hands again and he visited the charity stripe to make another pair.
Two free throws by Salve Regina’s Chris O’Rourke [Sr./Methuen MA] made it a three-point difference again (56-53) and then the Seahawk pressure ‘D’ forced a Hawk turnover with 25 seconds left. Salve Regina had one decent shot at tying the game, a missed three by O’Rourke, before Roger Williams iced the game with three more free throws.
Despite only playing 20 minutes and being hampered by an illness, Coute led Salve Regina with 13 points (nine in the last 1:32). Grendal had a team-high nine rebounds while O’Rourke added 10 points.
Brian Scharrenweber [Jr./Newburyport MA] had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for Roger Williams (16-8; 10-5 CCC). He also made 7-of-8 free throws as both teams shot over 75 percent from the stripe.
The teams split their season series, both winning on the road. Salve Regina (8-17; 7-9 CCC) is off until the first round of the conference playoffs where they will travel to the number one seed in the North Division (either Colby-Sawyer or Endicott). Roger Williams plays at Curry on Saturday where a win would clinch the number one seed in the South Division.