Women's Basketball Drops Road Contest To Emerson, 78-71

BOSTON, Mass. — The Endicott women's basketball team fell to the Emerson Lions, 78-71, in Monday evening's non-conference clash from inside Hank Smith Court.

Emma Shinney (Wakefield, Mass.) played the full 40 minutes and dropped 22 points (9-18 FG), seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Aleah Bracey (New Bedford, Mass.) and Mia McGarrity (Ridgefield, Conn.) were the only other Gulls to join her in double figures.

McGarrity posted 12 points on a perfect six-for-six from the field. She also hauled down six boards and rejected two shots in 14 minutes off the bench. 

Bracey also scored 12 points (5-13 FG, 2-5 3PT) and picked up five boards, two dimes, a block and a steal in the loss.

After the Lions ran out to an 11-2 start, the Gulls struck back with a 17-4 run of their own to close the quarter and head to the second with a 19-15 lead. A couple of buckets from Bracey, a tough drive to the rack by Shinney, a swipe and coast-to-coast score by Sofia Mazzotta (Billerica, Mass.), and a three-ball from Tricia Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) highlighted the run.

In a gritty second quarter, the Lions were able to right the ship, and eventually headed to the break with a slim 35-33 lead. Shinney led the way for the Gulls with six points, a rebound and an assist in the frame.

The Lions came out firing on all cylinders in the third. They outscored the Gulls 24-15 in the period, building up a 21-point advantage heading to the fourth.

Then, after being down 24 (62-48) with 9:11 remaining, the Gulls scrapped together a 17-6 run to draw within one possession with just 2:29 remaining. A series of tough paint buckets from the tandem of Shinney and McGarrity sparked the charge, while a triple from Mazzotta and deep mid-range snipe from Tenley Wallin (Danbury, Conn.) also played a big role in the comeback.

The Lions sunk a few free throws to push the lead back to six, but Shinney got to the rim once more with 17 ticks remaining to bring it back to four (75-71).

Unfortunately for the Blue and Green, the comeback attempt fell short, as Emerson went three-for-four at the line in the final moments to close out its 78-71 home win.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Gulls hold a dominant 19-4 lead in the all-time series.
• McGarrity's 12 points set a career high.
• Her six rebounds and two rejections were also a career best.
• The Lions shot a lights-out 8-16 (50%) from beyond the arc.
• Endicott outscored Emerson in the paint, 40-30.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (1-1) looks to bounce back at Springfield on Wednesday in a 7 PM non-conference matchup with the Pride. Emerson (2-0) competes in the "Wesleyan Classic" against Albertus Magnus at 8:30 PM on Saturday. 

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(Photo Credit - Kaeli Talora '25)