CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Salve Regina University women's basketball finished its regular season with an 82-61 victory at MIT in NEWMAC action at the Rockwell Cage on Saturday afternoon in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sofia Neary posted her 11th double-double for the Seahawks (14-10, 7-4 NEWMAC) with game-highs in points (19) and rebounds (16). Three other Seahawks scored in double figures with Amanda Folan and Ashley Rourke both matching 18 points while Hope Halvarson contributing 12 points.

Salve Regina, in a four-way tie for third place, earns the fifth seed in the NEWMAC postseason and will play at fourth-seeded Emerson College on Wednesday, February 26, with a 7 p.m. tip-off. MIT (11-14, 7-4 NEWMAC) finishes at the "bottom" of a four-way tie for third place and claims the sixth seed. The Engineers will travel to third-seeded Springfield College on Wednesday.

NEWMAC Standings -- https://newmacsports.com/standings.aspx?standings=302

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Salve Regina 82, MIT 61
Records: Salve Regina (14-10, 7-4 NEWMAC), MIT (11-14, 7-4 NEWMAC)
History: These programs meet for the ninth time overall and second as fellow members of the NEWMAC. Salve Regina improves to 6-3 in the all-time series and 1-1 in NEWMAC tilts. The greatest margin of victory for the Seahawks was a 62-37 final at the Rockwell Cage in 2003.

SUMMARY

• 1Q | Briana Neary scored the first two Salve Regina baskets on driving layups and assisted on Amanda Folan's 3-pointer for a 7-4 lead. Ashley Rourke's free throws at 4:06 started a 6-0 run for the Seahawks who had trailed 13-12. Sofia Neary had a pair of jumpers before swishing two from the charity stripe. Deanna Linscott sank the final bucket of the quarter for a six-point Seahawk advantage. There were six lead changes and five ties in the period. | SEAHAWKS 24, ENGINEERS 18
• 2Q | Salve Regina led by as many as nine (29-20) after an Amanda Folan basket at the 8:13 mark. Kaya Weiser's free throws with 1:23 remaining in the half trimmed the Engineer deficit to one (40-39). Sofia Neary had the final points of the period on a short jumper for a dozen before the break. Folan and Hope Halvarson led the Seahawks with six points apiece while Olivia Martin contributed a 3-pointer off the bench. Sarah Berman led all players with nine points on three threes. | SEAHAWKS 18, ENGINEERS 21
• 3Q | Brianna Lebrun had the first basket of the second half before Salve Regina went on a 15-2 run. All five Seahawk starters scored in the quarter led by Amanda Folan's seven points. Both teams had 11 rebounds in the frame. Both teams had 16 field goal attempts in the period. Salve Regina shot 50 percent (8-of-16) while MIT was limited to 25 percent (4-of-16). Both teams had six free-throw attempts in the period; Seahawks were 5-for-6 and Engineers went 1-for-6. | SEAHAWKS 22, ENGINEERS 10
• 4Q | After Alice Hall's layup, Ashley Rourke hit a 3-pointer for a 16-point Seahawk lead. Rourke had another trey at 5:25 for a 17-point cushion (75-58). Hope Halvarson's fast break layup followed a Rourke defensive board boosted the lead to 19. Briana Neary's layup lifted the Seahawks ahead by 22, and Rourke had a layup for the largest lead of the game (82-58; +24). Rourke scored 12 of her 18 points in the final quarter. | SEAHAWKS 18, ENGINEERS 12

NOTEWORTHY

• Salve Regina earns the fifth seed in the NEWMAC postseason and will play at fourth-seeded Emerson College on Wednesday, February 26, with a 7 p.m. tip-off.
• Sofia Neary posted her 11th double-double for the Seahawks with game-highs in points (19) and rebounds (16); she now has 28 double-doubles in her three-year career.
• Ashley Rourke scored 12 of her 18 points in the final quarter.
• Ashley Rourke led all players with five assists.

ON THE HORIZON
Salve Regina and Emerson will play their quarterfinal on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on FloCollege | TICKETS - In anticipation of a sold out venue at Emerson on Wednesday, the Lions athletic department is offering a presale for parents/families until 11:59 p.m. on Monday for 50 total tickets. Following that deadline, tickets will then be open to the general public.

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Below are the seedings for the 2025 NEWMAC Women's Basketball Championship: 

1. Smith (11-0)
2. Babson (8-3)
3. *Springfield (7-4)
4. *Emerson (7-4)
5. *Salve (7-4)
6. *MIT (7-4)
7. #WPI (5-6)
8. #Coast Guard (5-6)

Tie Breaks:
*Springfield, Emerson, Salve, and MIT tied at 7-4
Record among tied teams
EME: SPR 0-1 | Salve 1-0 | MIT 1-0 = 2-1  
SPR: EME 1-0 | Salve 1-0 | MIT 0-1 = 2-1 
Salve: EME 0-1 | SPR 0-1 | MIT 1-0 = 1-2 
MIT: EME 0-1 | SPR 1-0 | Salve 0-1 = 1-2 

Emerson and Springfield break the tie and are compared Head to Head
Emerson-Springfield
Head to Head: Springfield defeated Emerson 
Springfield is the #3 seed and Emerson is the #4 seed

Salve and MIT are still tied and now compared Head to Head
Head to Head: Salve defeated MIT 
Salve is the #5 seed and MIT is the #6 seed 

#WPI and Coast Guard tied at 5-6 
Head to Head: WPI defeated Coast Guard 
WPI is the #7 seed, Coast Guard is the #8 seed