NEWPORT, R.I. - Senior guard Windell Hinkson (Groton, Conn.) led all players with 20 points as Salve Regina University men's basketball defeated Colby-Sawyer College, 73-66, in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) action today in Newport.

The visiting Chargers charged out of the gate with a 9-0 run including two baskets from freshman center John Roberts (Casco, Maine).

The Seahawks responded with a 15-0 run on four 3-pointers and three free-throws. Senior guard Ryan Birrell (Hope, R.I.) got the scoring started with a 3-pointer in front of the Charger bench. Hinkson then hit a pair of long 3-pointers before finishing a fast break with a trey from the far baseline corner.

After Hinkson's second trey gave Salve Regina a 10-9 lead, the Seahawks never trailed again.

The Seahawk full-court press harassed the Chargers into turnovers as freshman guard Patrick Dinneen (Medfield, Mass.) converted back-to-back steals into layups and an eight-point lead (26-18) with 6:32 remaining in the first half.

Charger sophomore guard Corey Willis (Easton, Mass.) led a 6-0 run with two free throws and a jumper to cut the deficit to three (33-30) with 2:15 remaining. The teams finished the half scoreless from the floor except for two Birrell free throws.

After Hinkson's fifth trey gave Salve Regina its largest lead of the game (53-42 at 13:07 mark in second half), Colby-Sawyer went on a 20-9 run to tie the game at 62-all with 3:50 remaining. Freshman forward Robbie Burke (Cheshire, Mass.) scored seven of his team-high 16 points during the run.

Hinkson broke the tie with his season-high sixth 3-pointer. Senior forward Dan Royce (Mahwah, N.J.) and Birrell each made layups during an 11-4 run for Salve Regina (11-9; 5-4 TCCC) down the stretch while Birrell and Hinkson both made their free throws in the final 20 seconds.

"Our guys really stepped up defensively today against an excellent Colby Sawyer team," said Seahawk head coach Sean Foster. "To be able to get stops down the stretch put us in a position to close out the game. Our upperclassmen did a great job staying composed under pressure in the last few minutes."

Roberts finished with 12 points and junior guard Will Bardaglio (Wayne, Maine) scored 10 for Colby-Sawyer (10-10; 6-3 TCCC) which suffered its third straight conference defeat. The Chargers travel to Gordon College on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, the Seahawks host Curry College which hopes to snap an eight-game losing skid.