Team Effort Leads Endicott to Win
Jan. 25, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - Endicott College erased an early eight point deficit as the women's basketball team found a way to steal a 67-60 win over the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards on Thursday night in Beverly, MA.
Wentworth came out of the gates on fire, quickly building an early 8-0 lead. The visitors would add to that lead as the first half continued, owning a score of 26-17 with five-minutes remaining in the opening frame. Endicott's Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, NH/Central Catholic) led the comeback minded Gulls as the sophomore forward knocked down a pull-up jumper with just under two-minutes to play in the first half, pulling Endicott within four at 26-22. Moments later, Wentworth's Emily Cring (Cicero, NY/Shrewbury) quieted the Endicott crowd with a big three-pointer, sending the visitors into the dressing room up five at 29-24.
Endicott returned to the court with an adjusted game-plan, outscoring the Leopards 9-2 in the first five-minutes of the second half. Paris Sanders (Needham/MA/Minuteman Tech.) had a standout performance in the second frame, as the senior forward led the spirited Gulls with several key buckets. With the score 54-50 in favor of Endicott, Carly Haynes (Laconia, NH/Laconia) found Sanders in the low-post for the nice lay-in on a beautiful entry pass, extending the Gulls lead to six. On Endicott's next possession it was Sanders yet again, as the senior found her way to the rim for two more, putting the Gulls up eight. That lead would prove insurmountable as Endicott grabbed a big conference win, 67-60 over Wentworth.
The Gulls were led by Nicole Duchesne's team-high 15 points and four assists. Paris Sanders came one point shy of a double-double, as she notched 9 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Wentworth was paced by Michelle Fauci's (Boxford, MA/Masconomet Regional) 22 points. The Leopards also got a strong outing from Cheyenne Noble (Murryville, PA/Greensburg Central Catholic), as the senior forward had 17 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort.
With the win, Endicott improves to 9-6 overall and 6-1 in the CCC. Next up for the Gulls is a Commonwealth Coast Conference match-up with Curry College on Saturday, tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM in Milton, MA.