Nov. 9, 2006
CAMBRIDGE, MA - Endicott College opened the 2006 NCAA National tournament today, as they defeated the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State 3-2 in a New England Regional first-round match-up on the campus of MIT.
Game one was a back and forth affair, with each team exchanging early leads. Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Year Meghan Hall (Santa Cruz, CA/Aptos) continued her excellent play, commanding the court for the Gulls. Midway through game one, Endicott led 15-10. With the score 21-14 in favor of the Gulls, Endicott defensive specialist Brittany Nolan (Monroe, CT/Masuk) made an excellent defensive play, setting up Sara Moore (Guilford, CT/Guilford) who slammed home a momentum building point adding to the Gulls lead. With all the energy on the EC side, the Gulls cruised to a 30-17 game one win.
In game two, it was apparent early that Eastern Connecticut wouldn't lay down for Endicott. With a new found enthusiasm, the Warriors came out to build an early 13-6 lead, forcing EC to burn a timeout. Despite their best efforts to slow the Warriors, ECSU couldn't be stopped winning game two 30-20.
The two teams exchanged points early in game three, with the score at the midpoint favoring Eastern 15-11. The Gulls showed their resilience, battling back over the next several minutes to take a 23-22 lead. Endicott's Sara Moore showed why she was a force in the CCC's this year, hammering home back-to-back points. After a few defensive miscues, the Gulls called a timeout in an attempt to regain their composure. The timeout was all Endicott needed; closing out game three with an impressive come from behind 30-26 victory.
With their backs against the wall, the Warriors responded by building an early 11-4 game four lead. Eastern continued to cruise, leading by eleven at game point, however the Gulls would not quit. With the score 29-18, Endicott rattled off eight straight points closing the gap to 29-26. However, it was the Warriors who would eventually find the game winner, taking game four 30-26.
It was evident early in the afternoon that this match could go the distance, and that's exactly what happened. The Gulls came out flying in the final game, building an early 5-3 advantage. Over the next several minutes there would be a total of four lead-changes, with Endicott finding themselves out in front 11-8. Eastern responded by putting together back-to-back points, pulling within one. After an Endicott timeout, the Gulls came back on the court and scored three straight points, pushing their lead to 14-10. With the game at match point, it was only a matter of time as Endicott downed the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut 15-11 to win the match 3-2.
With the win, Endicott improves their record to 26-12 and advances into the second round of NCAA Regional play. The fifth-seeded Gulls will face the top-seeded Coast Guard Bears (21-2) at 4:30PM on Friday at MIT.
