WOMEN'S HOOPS CRUISES BY SALEM STATE, 80-57

Salem, MA—Junior forward Lena Negri (Arlington, VA) scored 16 points and added six rebounds as the Saints of Emmanuel College sailed past the Vikings of Salem State University 80-57 on Thursday night at Twohig Gymnasium. Emmanuel improves to 5-3 on the season, while Salem drops to 3-5 overall.

Senior forward Liz Daley (Sharon, MA) hit back-to-back three pointers to spark a Saint's 8-2 run early on in the first half. Negri added four points to help Emmanuel jump out to a 16-10 lead. However, Rachael Carter's (Merrimack, NH) 10 first half points kept the Vikings close. A Ginny Fleming (Peabody, MA) jumper cut Emmanuel's lead to 22-19 before the Saint's closed the half on a 17-6 run as Daley and Sarah Schemerhorn (Los Angeles, CA) combined for nine points to give Emmanuel a 39-25 halftime lead.

Freshman forward Jen Chalk (Horseheads, NY) helped the Saint's build an 18 point second half lead, 55-31 midway through the period. Salem State came as close as 10 before a 9-0 run by Emmanuel put the game away as Negri scored 10 points in the half.

Daley finished shooting 40% from beyond the arc (4-10) while Vanessa Bramante (Stoneham, MA) chipped in 14 points and seven rebounds. Jen Bujnowski (Salem, NH) added 11 points for the Saints.

Carter finished the contest with 26 points on 8-14 shooting, including 9-10 from the free throw line. Lara Bruni (Gloucester, MA) contributed 10 points and six rebounds for the Vikings.

Turnovers became an issue for the Vikings totaling 20 for the game. The Saint's bench played a huge role outscoring the Vikings bench 38-4.

The Vikings will be at Plymouth State next Thursday night at 7:00 PM while the Saints return to action on Tuesday night when they will play at Endicott College at 5:30 PM.

*Release courtesy of Salem State University Sports Information Dept.