BEVERLY, Mass. — The Endicott women's basketball team dropped its season opener to Springfield, 57-44, in Wednesday evening non-conference action from MacDonald Gymnasium.

Sarah Dempsey (Windham, N.H.) provided a big offensive boost for the Gulls, shooting 8-13 from the field with 17 points, four rebounds, two steals, and a block.

Reigning Conference Rookie of the Year Emma Shinney (Wakefield, Mass.) also stuffed the stat sheet with a 12-point, seven-rebound, two-assist, and one-steal performance.

After trailing by nine points just before the close of the first half, Dempsey beat the buzzer with an and-one bucket from inside to get the Gulls back within two possessions (29-23) heading into the break.

In the second stanza, a steady diet of Dempsey kept the Gulls within striking distance, but the Pride closed the third quarter on a 14-6 run to stretch its lead to 14 heading into the fourth.

Facing a 20-point deficit with 8:10 remaining, Tricia Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) entered the game and injected an instant boost into the Gulls lineup on both ends of the floor. Endicott went on a 15-4 run (6:37) to close the gap to just seven with Wladkowski in the lineup.

Along the way, the freshman picked up eight points on three-for-six shooting from the field (two-for-three from downtown) paired with an assist, a rebound, a block, and a steal.

From there, the Pride closed out the contest on a six-to-nothing run to seal the deal, 57-44.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Head Coach Jamie Insel and Assistant Coach Ella Thompson each made their respective debuts at the helm this evening.
• Sofia Mazzotta (Billerica, Mass.) made her collegiate debut this evening and logged 20 minutes for the Gulls. She missed the entirety of last season due to an injury.
• The Gulls forced 23 Springfield turnovers, as opposed to just nine of their own.
• Each team sunk three triples in the contest.
• Endicott held a 15-10 edge in points off of turnovers.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (0-1) travels to Salem State this Saturday for a 2 PM tipoff with the Vikings. Springfield (1-1) participates in the Trinity Tipoff Tournament starting this Saturday afternoon at 2 PM, when they face off against the hosting Bantams. 

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(Photo Credit - Kaeli Talora '25)