Wehner's last second shot lifts MCLA past Salve 53-51

NEWPORT, R.I. – Junior Jen Wehner (Cooperstown, N.Y.) scored the game-winning basket with two seconds remaining to lift the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) to a 53-51 win over Salve Regina University in non-conference women's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Rodgers Recreation Center.

Wehner finished with game-highs in points (19) and rebounds (16) to give the Trailblazers their second-straight win over Salve Regina (5-1), which suffered its first loss of the season. With 16 seconds remaining and the game tied at 51, freshman Kaitlyn Chenevert (Uxbridge, Mass.) fed Wenham near the top of the paint, and she dropped in a jumper with a hand in her face to send the Trailblazers (4-2) home with their fourth win of the season.

Both teams struggled from the field in the first half of play, combining to hit 19-of-67 (28.4 pct.) of their shots while turning the ball over a total of 21 times (14 for MCLA, seven for SRU). Salve Regina senior Victoria Audet (Broad Brook, Conn.) led all scorers with 12 points while Wehner tallied seven points and eight boards in a stanza that ended with the Seahawks holding a 23-19 advantage on the scoreboard.

The Seahawks build a 29-21 lead early in the second half behind buckets from Audet and senior Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.), as well as a pair of free throws by senior Olivia Browning (Trumbull, Conn.). MCLA cut the deficit to two points on two occasions before a pair of baskets by Wehner turned a three-point deficit into a one-point lead (41-40) with 6:50 remaining. Down three with 1:14 to go, a basket by Audet and a free throw by senior Meghan Averill (Newfields, N.H.) tied the game at 51 and set up the game-winning basket.

After shooting just 28.6 percent in the first half, the Trailblazers hit on 15 of their 28 attempts from the field (53.6 pct.) in the second frame to finish with a 41.1 shooting percentage on the afternoon. The Seahawks, meanwhile, hit on 33.3 percent of their shots in the second half and finished with a 30.3 percentage for the game. They were also outrebounded 52-36 but did force 26 MCLA turnovers, which they turned into 18 points.

Phillips was held to just 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting while Browning finished with eight points and tied Audet for the team-high in boards with 10. Junior Courtney Terzi (Little Falls, N.Y.) came off the bench to score 13 points for the Trailblazers while junior Alie Dobrovolc (Little Falls, N.Y.) added nine points and nine rebounds.

The Seahawks return to action on Tuesday when they host in-state rival Rhode Island College at 5:30 p.m. The Trailblazers travel to Albany Pharmacy for a 7 p.m. contest on Tuesday.