BOSTON – A career-high 25 points for first-year Syrita Faraj (Troy, N.Y.) matched with a career high 22 points for senior Meghan Murray (Watervliet, N.Y.) helped the Russell Sage Gators to a 83-72 victory over the Salve Regina Seahawks in the consolation game of the EC Tip-Off Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Seahawks and Gators were locked in a close game in the opening five minutes of the game before a Russell Sage 9-0 scoring run put the Gators ahead 21-12. A late Seahawks three-pointer by sophomore Amanda Folan (North Attleboro, Mass.) cut the deficit to six, as the Gators led 21-15 after the first quarter. The Seahawks started the second quarter on a 9-4 spurt to cut the deficit down to one possession, but the Gators found a response with a 14-3 surge to lead by as many as 13 in the second quarter. Faraj scored the final four points of the quarter and sent Russell Sage into the locker room with a 45-34 lead. The Gators took their largest lead of the game late in the third quarter, taking a 15-point lead. The Seahawks netted the final two points of the quarter, a sign of the surge the Seahawks would bring in the fourth, as Salve trailed 67-54. Including the final two points of the third quarter, the Seahawks cut their deficit all the way down to five with the help of a 12-2 run in the first three minutes of the final quarter. Salve Regina would hang within two possessions for much of the fourth quarter, again cutting a deficit down to five at 72-67 with 4:34 remaining. Faraj and Murray held off the Seahawks surge by combining for seven of the final 11 points for the Gators, as they took home the victory by 11 points on Sunday afternoon.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Faraj finished 9-of-14 from the floor and 6-of-11 from the line and added 11 rebounds in the win. Murray shot 8-of-16 and added seven rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Savannah Sommer (Mohawk, N.Y.) contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds in the double-double victory. Seahawks sophomore Briana Neary (Wayne, N.J.) finished with a career-high 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting. First-year Ashley Rourke (Londonderry, N.H.) and Folan each had 12 points.

UP NEXT
The Gators return to play on Wednesday as they travel to Skidmore College for a 5:30 p.m., non-conference game. The Seahawks are also back on Wednesday and welcome UMass Dartmouth for a home game at 7:00 p.m.; the first of a four-game homestand for Salve Regina.