SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott women's basketball team suffered a 69-49 loss to CCC opponent Western New England on Saturday afternoon as their 2014-15 record fell further to 6-9 (2-6 CCC). The Gulls got 11 points from freshman guard Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Mass.) and another 10 from forward forward Hannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine) off the bench but were combatted by 20 points from Golden Bears sophomore guard Sammie Battaini (Leominster, Mass.).
Endicott looks to right the ship when they host CCC rival Wentworth on Tuesday, January 20th for a 5:30 pm tip-off. Wentworth is 4-11 (2-6 CCC) on the year and will be coming off a 65-55 win over Nichols. Endicott is 21-2 all-time against the Leopards including a pair of regular season wins last year.
Coppola's 11 points were a season-high as the rookie point guard drained 4-of-6 shots from the field including all three three-point attempts she took. Coppola added two assists, two steals, and a rebound in the loss. Shaw knocked down 4-of-10 shots and both free throw attempts while grabbing four boards, three on the offensive glass. Shaw also stuffed the stat sheet with three steals, two assists, and a block.
Gulls junior forward Kelsey Cuddy (Madison, Conn.) was the only Endicott starter to reach double figures with 10 points. Cuddy added six rebounds, three steals, three assists, and two blocks.
Battaini was an efficient 6-of-13 from the floor including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc as well as a perfect 6-of-6 at the line for Western New England. Three other Golden Bear starters scored in double digits including Sammie Olson (Tolland, Conn.) who drained 3-of-5 three-point shots en route to 13 points. Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) and Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Vujs nearly recorded a triple double by hauling in 12 rebounds with a game-high seven assists.
Endicott shot just 30% from the floor, connected on 7-of-21 three-point attempts, and hit 62% (8-of-13) free throw attempts. The Gulls were outrebounded 43-31 in the loss and were outscored 24-18 in the paint.
Western New England shot 46% from the floor including an impressive 10-of-18 (56%) from long range and 68% (13-of-19) at the charity stripe.
