ST. DAVIDS, Pa.- With hot shooting from behind the arc, Eastern University Women's Basketball rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to top the visiting Salisbury University Sea Gulls by a 64-57 margin. Gina DiDomenico scored all of her game-high 18 points in the final 17 minutes of the contest to lead the Eastern comeback.

Salisbury (3-4) dominated the glass in the opening period to open up a 37-27 lead at the break. Katie McGahagan and Becca Himes each had five offensive rebounds for the visitors. Salisbury had 13 second chance points in the first half. Though they shot less than 40 percent, the Sea Gulls used their 12 offensive rebounds to get 11 more shots than Eastern. Courtney McManus led the visitors with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. 

Eastern got first half 3-pointers from Kaleigh Boreman, Kaitlyn Dougherty, and Meghan Nowak and shot a very respectable 44.4 percent from the floor, but the hosts made just one trip to the foul line and had only four offensive rebounds. Nowak scored nine points on 4-of-4 shooting, but the sophomore forward was limited to only 13 minutes by early foul trouble.

That foul trouble looked as though it would cost the Eagles dearly in the second half. After trailing by 12 early in the period, Eastern cut the Salisbury lead to five on a DiDomenico 3-pointer with 12:45 on the clock. Nowak, however, picked up her fourth on a scramble around the basket on the ensuing possession. 

Salisbury scored to take a 47-40 lead. Eastern then went on a 15-4 run. DiDomenico, who had made three triples before Nowak left the game, sparked the run with her fourth trifecta of the game. Boreman then answered a Salisbury hoop with another long-range make. Freshman forward Torri Grossi stole the ball after a Salisbury defensive rebound and converted a lay-up to bring Eastern to within a point at 49-48.

Grimes split a pair of free throws for the visitors, and DiDomenico dropped another three to give the Eagles their first lead since the first basket of the game. Salisbury point guard Anna Hacket knocked in a tough runner to put her team up 52-51 before Boreman hit two free throws to give Eastern the lead for good with just under seven minutes to play.

Seconds after she returned to the game, Nowak earned a trip to the line and gave Eastern a 57-54 lead with a pair of free throws. Neither team scored for the next two minutes until Kelsie Patton made a layup with the shot clock running down with 1:06 to play. After a Salisbury turnover, DiDomenico made two more free throws for what turned out to be the final margin.

Eastern made 6-of-11 3-pointers after the break. As important, Coach Davis' team showed better concentration and discipline on the defensive glass. Even with Nowak missing much of the period, Salisbury scored only four points on second-chance baskets in the final twenty minutes.

Nowak finished with 15 points on only seven shot attempts in 25 minutes of action. All eight players who saw time in the game scored at least four points for the Eagles. McGahagan led Salisbury with 13 points and 17 rebounds. Hackett had 12 points.

Eastern (4-4) returns to action with a Saturday home game against Juniata. That game is the final Toys for Tots event of the season.

Box Score