BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott women's basketball team defeated Coast Guard, 87-85 (OT), in non-conference action on Wednesday night at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Tied 85-85 with under 1:30 to play in overtime, Sarah Dempsey (Windham, N.H.) boxed out her defender under the basket, grabbed a hard-fought rebound, and banked the go-ahead shot off the right window (00:59) to give the Gulls the eventual gritty victory.
Tonight's game featured 14 ties and 15 lead changes, which was highlighted by an erratic fourth quarter between the two programs that included seven ties and five lead changes alone.
In the thrilling fourth quarter, Tara Laugeni (Woodbridge, Conn.) pushed Endicott out to an 80-78 advantage with 55-seconds to play in regulation before Coast Guard forced overtime via a long-distance two-point jump shot with 29-seconds on the clock.
From there, Laugeni scored three of her career-high 30 points (13-23 FG, 4-6 FT) in overtime to guide the Gulls in the win. She also added 13 rebounds (six offensive) to notch her second career double-double alongside three assists, a trio of blocks, and two steals.
Libby Fleming (Bangor, Maine) and Ariana Silvia (Falmouth, Mass.) chipped in with a career-high 16 (6-12 FG, 4-9 3PT) and 11 (4-9 FG, 3-5 3PT) points, respectively. Dempsey rounded out the list of double-digit scorers with 12 (6-13 FG, 0-1 3PT).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott earned its first home win of the season.
- The largest lead by any team in the contest was only seven points (Coast Guard, 6:34 – 1st).
- The Gulls' bench outscored Coast Guard, 27-11 (Fleming/Silvia combined for all 27).
- Endicott held a 20-14 advantage in points off turnovers and a 17-10 differential in second chance points.
- Laugeni's 13 rebounds tied a career-high.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (3-4) hosts Salem State University on Saturday, December 11 at 1 PM. Coast Guard (5-4) will play in the D3 Classic in Vegas against Whittier (12/29) and Cal Lutheran (12/30).
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10
