NCAA TOURNAMENT: Endicott Takes No. 20/24 Christopher Newport To The Brink In Second Round, 74-71

SCRANTON, Pa. – The Endicott women's basketball team fell to No. 20/24 nationally ranked Christopher Newport, 74-71, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, hosted by the University of Scranton, on Saturday night at the John Long Center.

With the victory, the Captains (25-4) will play the winner of Texas-Dallas and Mary Hardin-Baylor on Friday, March 13 (time and place TBD) in the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, Endicott's historic season, which included capturing its first-ever conference title, making its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, and securing its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, comes to a close at 19-11 overall.

Tonight's game was one for the ages as it featured 20 lead changes and 12 ties along the way. 

Ultimately, Christopher Newport's bucket with 2:36 left to play in the matchup that gave the Captains a 67-66 advantage, at the time, held true the rest of the way despite a valiant effort from the Gulls.

Endicott nearly completed the comeback bid as the Gulls brought the game within one possession three separate times (1:44, 69-68 | 0:43, 71-70 | 0:07, 73-71), but Christopher Newport answered on each occasion to come away with the hard-fought win.

Emily Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) guided Endicott via a game-high 26 points (10-17 FG, 1-3 3PT, 5-7 FT) and 12 rebounds. 

Kaleigh Putnam (Wallingford, Conn.) also contributed 14 points, while Mikaela Rogers (Haverhill, Mass.) notched 16 points and five rebounds. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• This was the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
• Christopher Newport extended its winning streak to 17 straight games tonight.
• With the win, the Captains will now appear in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season. 
• Pratt finished her storied career as the second all-time leading scorer in program history with 1,472 points. 
• Putnam ranks sixth all-time in assists with 248.
• Rogers is 14th all-time in rebounds with 508.
• Christopher Newport is currently ranked No. 20 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll and No. 24 by D3hoops.com.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 20/24 Christopher Newport (25-4) will play the winner of Texas-Dallas and Mary Hardin-Baylor on Friday, March 13 (time and place TBD) in the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

Endicott's historic season comes to a close at 19-11 overall. 

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(Photo Credit - Tim Dougherty)