BOSTON, Mass. – The Endicott women's basketball team traveled to Wentworth on Monday evening for a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup. The Gulls shot 44.1% from inside the arc to help them cruise through Wentworth in the 67-44 victory. Endicott improves to 13-4, (8-2 CCC) while Wentworth falls to 5-11, (2-8 CCC).
The Gulls came out strong in the first half has they outscored the Leopards 34-17. In the opening minutes both sides were going bucket for bucket led by senior Samantha Crough (Cohasset, Mass.) for Endicott and senior Kendra Kerr (Marshfield, Mass.) for Wentworth. In the first ten minutes of the game Crough nailed eight points to help give the Gulls a 16-9 lead, however Kerr got back within three after going 2-2 from the charity stripe.
Endicott went on to score 12 points to the Leopards two to make it a 13 point game in the Gull's favor with 6:09 remaining in the first half. In the final two minutes the Blue and Green lit up the scoreboard adding six more points to take the 34-17 lead entering halftime.
Throughout the first half the Gulls shot an impressive 50% from close range but struggled from beyond the arc only hitting 1-7. However the Blue and Green held strong on defense holding the Leopards to zero three-pointers and only giving up 14 points from inside the arc while adding 13 defensive rebounds to Wentworth's eight.
The second half showed a Gulls team that provided depth as 10 different players scored points, led by junior Kayleen Whall (Foxboro, Mass.) with seven points and five rebounds. To start off, the Blue and Green nailed six consecutive points to take an impressive 23 points lead. Sophomore Rachael Camaro (Fall River, Mass.) finally answered back earning a three point play after getting fouled on a made basket in the paint.
Senior Jennifer White (Lisbon, N.H.) came back with two big jumpers inside the arc followed by a made free throw from Cuddy to take the 46-25 score lead. The Leopards would not go away quietly as Kerr and sophomore Meagan McLaughlin (Southington, Conn.) took turns at adding points scoring eight points together in just three minutes. The Blue and Green however would not let their points go unanswered as they worked hard offensively to keep their 21 point lead with nine minutes remaining in the game.
At the 8:02 mark freshman Laura Iadarola (Tyngsboro, Mass.) scored the last points for the Gulls for five minutes, giving Wentworth a chance to catch up as they scored eight points in that time. Iadarola then went on to end their streak added by four points from freshman Francheska Ventura (Lawrence, Mass.) and a jumper from freshman Sarah Hood (Burlington, Mass.) whom all scored their first points in a Gulls uniform as the half ended in the Blue and Green's favor with a 67-44 final.
Overall Endicott shot well from the charity stripe hitting 11-15 while going 45% from close range. The Bench scored 25 points for the Gulls while offensively they worked hard earning 10 fast break points and 17 second chance points.
Endicott will take the court next on Wednesday, January 29th when they host cross-town rival Gordon at 5:30 p.m. Wentworth will also see action on Wednesday when they travel to Salve Regina for a 7:30 p.m. start.
