Gulls Fall in First Round of ECAC's to Mt. Holyoke, 56-51
March 2, 2005
South Hadley, MA - Second-seeded Mount Holyoke (21-5) defeated No. 7 seed Endicott (18-10), 56-51, tonight in the first round of the ECAC Division III New England Women's Basketball Championship. The win advances the Lyons to the semifinals this weekend and ends the Gulls most successful season in school history.
The score remained close in the first half, with neither team taking a commanding lead. After Endicott tied it up for the seventh time with 5:26 remaining, the Lyons completed an 8-2 scoring drive, sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Elizabeth Colby and Sara Belding, to take a 6-point lead at the break.
In the second half, Endicott earned its first lead of the period at 10:49 after an 11-3 run, which included two 3-pointers and one free throw from Liz Yuneman. The teams traded baskets until MHC pulled ahead for good on a 3-point field goal from Jeanne Powers with 5:06 left in the game. The Gulls stayed within one point behind Carly Haynes (scoring 9 of EC's 11 final points) but MHC managed back-to-back lay-ups and Angela Astuccio sunk both free throw attempts to clinch the win.
Mount Holyoke's Joeanna Silvey '07 posted a team-high 12 points in just 17 minutes of play, shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 at the charity stripe. Junior Christine Godin contributed 10 points and three steals, while Jeanne Powers earned a game-high eight rebounds off the bench. Sara Belding sparked the Lyons with three steals, three assists, and two 3-pointers.
For Endicott, sophomore Carly Haynes led all scorers with 16 points and teammate Holly Beth Wojcik added 10 points. Liz Yuneman and Lisa Chartier each chipped in 9 points, while Haynes and Chartier brought down six rebounds each.
Endicott committed just 10 turnovers to the Lyons 15, but MHC grabbed 6 more rebounds (37-31). The two teams drained 20 field goals apiece, including five from long-range, but Mount Holyoke won at the foul line, sinking 11-of-16 to Endicott's 6-of-12 for the night.
Story courtesy of Mt. Holyoke Sports Information Department