Gulls fend off Western New England's second half rally to win 66-62

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott women's basketball claimed an important 66-62 league victory over Western New England on Saturday afternoon to improve to 2-1 in conference games and 5-5 overall. 

The Gulls saw their seven-point advantage with just 27 seconds left in regulation quickly dwindle down to just two points after two clutch three-point baskets by the Golden Bears, but Endicott sophomore guard Jennifer White (Lisbon, N.H.) hit two free throws to keep the game out of reach. 

White, who finished with 13 points, was one of four Endicott players to score in double-digits.  The Gulls leading scorer in this game was sophomore forward Samantha Crough (Cohasset, Mass.) who had 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting with a three-pointer.  Crough also grabbed five caroms and added a block and a steal to her line. 

Jordan Ferland (Charlestown, N.H.) and Kayleen Whall (Foxboro, Mass.) each were a factor with 13 and 11 points, respectively.  Ferland was 6-of-13 from the floor with seven rebounds and Whall, who did all her damage in just 16 minutes on the court, was near perfect at 4-of-5 shooting including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. 

Endicott as a team shot 46.2% (6-of-13) from three-point range as Whall, White, Crough, and senior point guard Nicole Heffernan (Londonderry, N.H.) all connected on their long range attempts.

For the home team, junior guard Emily Savino (Ellington, Conn.) led all scorers with 18 points.  Savino hit 6-of-13 attempts from the floor including 3-of-7 from three.  She added four rebounds, two assists and a steal.  Ali Pessolano (Hampden, Mass.), Sarah Proper (Coxsackie, N.Y.), and Elena Radzikowski (Medway, Mass.) also scored in double figures with 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively.  Radzinkowski added a game-high eight rebounds and Proper had four assists. 

Western New England struggled with their three-point shooting, making just 5-of-18 attempts while hitting just 34.9% (22-of-63) of their shots overall.  The Golden Bears, however, were effective at the free throw line at 72.2% (13-of-18) compared to just 46.7% (14-of-30) for the Gulls.

Endicott outrebounded Western New England by a large 52-33 margin which included 19 offensive rebounds.  Crough led the charge with four of her five rebounds coming on the offensive glass. 

The Blue and Green move to face CCC opponent Nichols on Tuesday, January 10^th at 5:30 pm in Dudley.  The Bison are also 2-1 in conference play following their 59-56 win over Wentworth this afternoon.