BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott women's basketball team strung together a strong third quarter effort, but it wasn't enough as visiting Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foe Western New England outlasted the Gulls, 70-62, in the last game of the regular season on Senior Day inside MacDonald Gymnasium.
Prior to today's game seniors Kelsey Cuddy (Madison, Conn.), Caity Lowry (Quincy, Mass.), and Katie Manning (Hull, Mass.) were all honored for their contributions towards the women's basketball program.
Cuddy registered a double-double with a team-high 23 points that tied for a game-high, and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds in the defeat, in addition to two assists, four blocks and one steal.
Western New England got out to a fast start, taking a commanding 24-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Sophomore guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) paced all scorers with 10 points in the first half, as the Golden Bears took a 37-26 advantage into the locker room at the break.
The Gulls stormed back in the third quarter by outscoring the Golden Bears, 22-10, to claw their way back into the game.
Cuddy's pair of free throws with 2:28 to go in the third gave Endicott its first lead since the opening basket and the Gulls went on a 6-0 run to go up 46-40 with 1:33 to play in the third quarter. Endicott held WNEU scoreless for nearly five minutes during this stretch as the third quarter came to a close with the Gulls holding onto a slim 48-47 edge.
Momentum swung back in favor of the Golden Bears as the guests bookended their scoring effort with 23 points in the fourth quarter to go up for good with 7:48 left in the game.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Cuddy recorded her third double-double of the season.
- The Gulls' largest lead of the game was six points with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
- WNEU led by as much as 17 with 5:18 remaining in the first half.
- The Golden Bears scored 15 second chance points, compared to Endicott's six.
FOR THE FOES
- O'Neill scored a team-high 23 points to go with five rebounds and four assists.
- Junior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and senior guard Chelsea Vujs (Berlin, Conn.) added 17 points and 10 points, respectively.
- Vujs also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
- The Golden Bears out-rebounded the Gulls, 46-37.
NOTES
- Endicott is 11-8 all-time and 5-4 at home versus Western New England dating back prior to the 2008 season.
- The Gulls won the most recent meeting before today, 59-52, in Springfield, Mass. on Jan. 9, 2016 as Cuddy became the 11th student-athlete in Endicott women's basketball program history to reach the 1,000 career point milestone.
- Western New England has won the past three of the four three head-to-head matchups as the teams split the regular season series this year.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Gulls (15-10, 13-5 CCC) and Golden Bears (16-9, 13-5 CCC) both advanced to the CCC Quarterfinals that will take place on Tuesday, February 23, followed by the Semifinals on Feb. 25 and the CCC Championship on Saturday, February 27, 2016. No. 4 seed Endicott will host No. 5 seed Curry College (12-13, 9-9 CCC) at 7:30 p.m., while Western New England University welcomes No. 7 seed Salve Regina University (10-15, 9-9 CCC) at 7:00 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.