Gulls Reach First Ever CCC Final
Feb. 23, 2006
DUDLEY, MA - DUDLEY, MA - Endicott College women's basketball team will make their first-ever CCC finals appearance after downing Nichols College 70-67 in OT of the CCC Semi-Finals Thursday night.
Endicott, the No. 2 seed in the North Division will visit top-seed in the North Colby-Sawyer College this Saturday afternoon (2) in New London, NH.
Aubrey Drugan's (Salem, NH/Bishop Guertin) three-point basket with 2:41 left in OT put the Gulls ahead for good. And Carly Haynes (Laconia, NH/Laconia) sealed the victory, making two free throws with one second left in OT.
Endicott climbed out of an 11-point hole in the second half when Liz Yuneman (Middle Village, NY/ St. Francis Prep) connected on a jumper with 15 seconds remaining in regulation, tying the game. Nichols' Heather Clarke missed a jumper with four seconds left to send the game into overtime. Nicole Young (Rockland, MA/Cardinal Spellman) had a big block on the same Nichols possession to ensure the extra session.
With the Gulls trailing by two with less than a minute remaining in regulation, Endicott head coach Jen Lucey elected to foul Bison freshman MaryLynn Skarzenzki and the gamble paid off when Skarzenski missed the front end of the one-and-one free throw attempt.
Coming up big down the stretch for the Gulls in this historic victory was freshman Hayley Janelle (Madbury, NH/Oyster River), who was perfect from the floor with 10 points in just 12 minutes, hitting three consecutive baskets to keep the Gulls in the game. Young added 18 points and five boards and senior co-captian Jodi Brown (Coventry, RI/Coventry) had a double-double (11 points and 10 rebounds).
Clarke chipped in 17 points and eight rebounds for the Bison while Skarzenski added 11 points and nine assists and Stacey Hejwosz had 14 points.