Jan. 5, 2009
BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott women's basketball team showed no signs of post-holiday rust on Monday, as the Gulls routed UMass-Dartmouth, 80-43, in non-conference action in Beverly, Mass. The win improves the Blue and Green to 7-3, while the Corsairs dip to 2-8 with the setback.
A competitive first six minutes of action saw the two sides trade buckets in the early going. With the score 12-11 in favor of Endicott, the Gulls fired off an impressive 15-3 run that was capped off by an Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) jumper to make it 27-14. The Gulls would enter the intermission with a commanding 42-22 advantage.
It was much of the same in the second half, as the Corsairs failed to get closer than 17 in the final 20 minutes of play. The Gulls led by as many as 40 points in the contest, before finally taking the decision, 80-43.
Endicott was paced by Ashley Vitale's (Wilmington, Mass.) 17 points, six rebounds and three blocks in just 22 minutes. Nicole Young (Rockland, Mass.) added to the Gulls' dominance on the inside, as she notched 12 points and five rebounds in the win. Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, N.H.) was the only other Gull to score in double-figures, as she had 10 points and four assists.
UMass-Dartmouth got 13 points from senior guard Vicki Andruszkiewicz (Danvers, Mass.). Sophomore Tashauna Ashmeade (Hyannis, Mass.) shot 4-of-19 and had six rebounds for the visitors.
The Gulls turned 20 Corsair turnovers into 24 points, while also holding a 42-29 rebounding advantage. UMass-Dartmouth couldn't match the Gulls in the paint, as Endicott outscored the Corsairs 34-10 on the inside. The Blue and Green shot 51.9% from field, holding the visitors to just 26.3%.
Endicott returns to action on Wednesday evening as the Gulls travel across town-lines into Salem to square-off with their North Shore rival Salem State. UMass-Dartmouth looks to halt its current seven-game slide as they play at Salve Regina on Thursday in Newport, R.I.
