SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Graduate guard Ryan Birrell (Hope, R.I.) scored a game-high 20 points as the Salve Regina men's basketball team defeated Western New England 74-56 to remain unbeaten in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Thursday night (Jan. 12).

Birrell also had six rebounds, six assists, and three steals as the Seahawks improved to 7-5 overall and 5-0 in the CCC.

Sophomore guard Isiah Pringle (Queens, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Scott St. Lawrence (Litchfield, N.H.) added 15 and 13 points, respectively, coming off the bench.

The Seahawks battled back from a four-point deficit almost six minutes into the game to take a 41-29 advantage at halftime.

SRU went ahead 52-38 when St. Lawrence (who was 6-for-7 from the field) hit jumper with 12:35 left.

Western New England cut the margin to 54-44 following a three-pointer by senior guard Andre Shaw (New York, N.Y.) with 9:16 to play, but couldn't get any closer.

Sophomore forward Joshua Hohlfelder (Noank, Conn.) contributed nine points and seven rebounds while junior William Smiley (Saunderstown, R.I.) chipped in with eight points and sophomore forward Jeff Bielefeld (Littleton, Mass.) eight rebounds.

Shaw led the Golden Bears with 19 points making 6-of-10 shots, including four three-pointers. He also pulled down four rebounds and had a pair of assists. Sophomore forward Daniel Minto (West Hempstead, N.Y.) had a nice performance finishing with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. He also had collected three steals and had a pair of blocks.

Salve Regina shot 46.9% from the field compared to only 35.1% for Western New England. It was close in the rebounding department with the Seahawks holding a narrow 39-37 edge.