Women's Basketball Clinches #8 Seed Despite 69-45 Loss at Endicott
BEVERLY, Mass. – Playing in their final regular-season home game, seniors Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass.), Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.), and Brittany Kelleher (Wakefield, Mass.) combined for 46 points in a 69-45 win over visiting Curry in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) women’s basketball matchup.
Endicott (16-8, 10-3) won its second straight entering the TCCC Tournament and will host Regis on Tuesday (Feb. 22) as the number four seed. Curry (17-8, 6-7) qualifies for the conference tournament as the eight seed and will travel to top-seeded Salve Regina on Tuesday.
Vitale finished with a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds while Wright chipped in 16 points, seven boards, and six steals in 37 minutes of action. Kelleher added 11 points and five rebounds in the win.
Freshman Jennifer White (Lisbon, N.H.) set career highs with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Blue and Green.
Julia Scrubb (Stowe, Vt.) was the only player in double figures for the Colonels. The sophomore guard led the way with ten points and six rebounds off the bench. Freshman guard Lauren McGrath (Southampton, Mass.) added nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc while Joneiha Veiga (Brockton, Mass.) also scored nine.
The Gulls were first on the board in a game they never trailed. The first half, though, featured tough defense by both sides. Curry shot just 29 percent in the opening period and was 1 of 10 from long distance. Endicott managed just 19 points from the field but hit 10 of 12 free throws in the opening 20 minutes.
A pair of free throws by Scrubb with 11:29 to go in the first half pulled the Colonels within one (11-10) but Endicott converted on its next two possessions to push the lead to five. Kelleher nailed a jumper with just over five minutes remaining to give the Gulls a six point advantage before Veiga’s jumper capped a 5-0 run by the visitors to get within one.
The hosts closed the half on a 10-0 run over the final minute and a half to take a 29-18 lead into the locker rooms.
Endicott’s lead ballooned to 17 midway through the second half and as many as 27 down the stretch.
The Gulls forced 22 turnovers – 11 in each half – en route to 19 points in the win. Curry’s bench outscored its counterpart 30-7 on the afternoon. (Game recap courtesy of Endicott Sports Information)