Feb. 10, 2009
BEVERLY, Mass. - Four Endicott College players scored in double-figures, led by Ashley Wright's (Merrimack, N.H.) 25 points, as the Endicott College Gulls defeated the University of New England Nor'Easters, 85-65, in The Commonwealth Coast Conference action on Tuesday night in Beverly, Mass. The Gulls improve to 18-4 overall and 9-1 in the TCCC while UNE slips to 16-6 (9-1 TCCC). The two teams are now tied for second place in the standings behind only Nichols College (20-2, 10-0 TCCC).
Endicott jumped all over the Nor'Easters to start the game as the Gulls raced out to a 20-6 lead on an and-one layup by Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass.). Endicott continued to keep their foot on the gas pedal as they increased their lead to 26 points as a three-pointer by Ashley Wright made the game 36-10. Endicott would only allow eight more points in the period as they took a halftime lead of 41-18.
The Gulls outscored the Nor'Easters in the paint 20-12 and also held an edge in points off turnovers at 12-6. The Gulls also had eight fast break points while not allowing any points in transition for the visitors.
Ashley Wright would strike again in the second half as she hit a jumper at the 16:32 mark to increase the lead to 27 points. A three-pointer by Margo Russell (Madison, Maine) would cut the lead to 21 at 61-40 but would not be enough as the Gulls promptly went on a 14-5 run to make the lead 30 at 75-45.
The Gulls would comfortably keep the Nor'Easters at bay leading by 27 going into the closing minutes. A jumper by Chelsea Meszaros (North Clarendon, Vt.) with :20 seconds remaining would leave the game at its final outcome, a 85-65 victory by the Gulls, ending the Nor'Easters 10 game winning-streak.
For the game, the Gulls committed 30 turnovers compared to just 17 for UNE. The Nor'Easters also held the edge in bench scoring as their reserves scored 38 of the team's 65 points. However, the Gulls would win the battle on the glass by outrebounding their opponents 54-31 while shooting a shade under 50% at 49.1%.
Ashley Wright led all scorers with 25 points while Ashley Vitale added 18 points and eight rebounds. Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, N.H.) and Ceciley Chisholm (Lexington, Mass.) would also join Wright and Vitale in double-figures with 14 points and 11 points, respectively. Nicole Young (Rockland, Mass) had a game-high 11 rebounds while Chisholm chipped in with nine of her own. Kaylin Burke (Leominster, Mass.) had an all-around game with five points, seven rebounds, and a game-high six assists.
UNE's Margo Russell led the Nor'Easters with 16 points and five rebounds. Sara Pelky also chipped in 15 points and four rebounds. Senior Alli Gamache (Dudley, Mass.) had three points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
The Blue and Green return to action on February 14th when they travel to Salve Regina for a tip-off at 1:00 p.m. The University of New England will continue its three-game road trip when they travel to Colby-Sawyer for a game at 3:00 p.m.
