BEVERLY, Mass. — The Endicott women's basketball team defeated Curry, 68-67, in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action on Saturday afternoon at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Prior to the game, seniors Cassie Caldwell (Marshfield, Mass.), Mariah Chamberlain (Jaffrey, N.H.), Tara Laugeni (Woodbridge, Conn.), Emily St. Thomas (Sterling, Mass.), and student manager Lauren Yaffe (Sharon, Mass.) were all honored for their contributions to the women's basketball program and the Endicott College community in a Senior Day ceremony.
Laugeni paced the Gulls with 16 points and nine rebounds, while St. Thomas and Sarah Dempsey (Windham, N.H.) collected 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Chamberlain rounded out the individual highlights with seven points and a career-high 10 boards.
Trailing 17-13 at the end of the first quarter, Endicott generated a 12-2 scoring run to take a 25-21 lead with 6:23 left to play in the half. The spurt was powered by Dempsey (5), Laugeni (3), St. Thomas (2), and Tenley Wallin (Danbury, Conn.) (2), which helped the Gulls take a 35-33 advantage into the break.
The third quarter went back and forth as both teams combined for 39 points (EC 20, CC 19, Gulls 55-52 lead) to set the stage for a dramatic fourth quarter ending.
In the final two minutes, Curry converted a layup with 1:45 to play to cut Endicott's lead to 66-64 and later took a 67-66 advantage via a Kathryn Dunn three-pointer at the top of the key.
St. Thomas answered with 21 seconds remaining with a pair of clutch free throws to give Endicott a 68-67 lead.
On the ensuing possession, the Gulls' defense came up with a huge stop. Following the defensive effort, Curry forced a miscue and had a deep three-opportunity of its own clank off the backboard to end the contest.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls are 23-1 all-time versus the Colonels at The Nest.
- Neither team made a three-pointer in the first half (Endicott 0-6 | Curry 0-4).
- The hosts' reserves outscored the visitors' bench, 28-11.
- Endicott out-rebounded Curry, 47-39.
- The game saw eight lead changes and seven ties.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (11-12, 9-7 CCC) visits Roger Williams on Wednesday, February 15 at 5:30 PM. Curry (2-14, 6-17 CCC) travels to the University of New England (UNE) this Wednesday at 5:30 PM.
For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
(Photo Credit - Ryan Asia Atkins '22)
