Gulls Need Extra Time to Dispatch UNE
Jan. 24, 2006
BEVERLY, MA - The Endicott College women's basketball team needed a last-second shot just to send Tuesday night's Commonwealth Coast Conference game versus the University of New England into overtime. But the determination paid off as the Gulls took home a 70-68 victory over the Nor'Easters, extending their winning streak to four games.
Endicott improved to 9-6 overall and 6-1 in the CCC behind 10 points apiece from senior guard Jodi Brown (Coventry, RI/Coventry), senior guard Liz Yuneman (Middle Village, NY/St. Francis Prep) and freshman guard Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, NH/Central Catholic).
UNE fell to 9-6 overall and 5-3 in the CCC despite the performances of guard Alli Gamache (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional), Essie McKinnon (South Portland, ME/South Portland) and Megan Wyand (Durham, NH/Oyster River). McKinnon poured in a game-high 20 points with 11 rebounds and two steals while Gamache scored 12 points, had three steals and three assists and pulled down four rebounds. Wyand dropped in 11 points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 shooting from the charity stripe.
However, the play of the game came from freshman forward Nicole Young (Rockland, MA/Cardinal Spellman) and Brown when Brown hit Young under the hoop, tying the game on an in-bounds pass as time expired.
The Gulls in-bounded the ball near the scorer's table with 0.4 seconds showing on the clock and Young somehow managed to find a way to the back door where Brown fired a perfect pass.
Endicott had the lead from 16:42 mark of the first half until UNE's Gamache tied the game at 52-52 on a three-pointer with just over a minute to play in the second half.
A McKinnon jumper gave the visitors a one-point advantage with 21 ticks on the clock and a Brook Weston (Dixfield, ME/Dirigo) foul shot doubled the margin with five seconds remaining.
In overtime, sophomore guard Aubrey Drugan (Salem, NH/Bishop Guertin) drove the lane and converted a conventional three-point play, tying the game and Young asserted herself in the paint and on the glass. She finished with a double-double on a team-high 12 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and six blocks. Young assisted on a Brown three that gave EC the lead for good at 61-60 with 2:45 to play in the overtime and then got her own rebound and put home a floater in the lane while being fouled. After converting the free throw the lead stood at 64-60.
The Nor'Easters would not go quietly, however. Kelsi Royer Lewiston, ME/Lewiston) sank a three to bring her team within one point before Endicott embarked on a 6-4 run to close the game, mainly on the clutch foul shooting of Carly Haynes (Laconia, NH/Laconia) and Brown.