Gulls Shocked by Colby-Sawyer, 62-61
Feb. 8, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - Thursday night's match-up had all the makings for a thriller, and the 350-plus fans who flocked to the MacDonald Gymnasium to see the number one and number two teams in the CCC-North were not disappointed with the match-up. Noelle Surette (Buxton, ME/Waynflete) converted on a tough inside look with just twelve-ticks remaining in regulation, as Colby-Sawyer College overcame a 20 point second half deficit to take a critical, 62-61 CCC victory.
The first half was ultimately dominated by the Gulls, who finished the opening period with a 31-19 lead. Endicott was led by the high-scoring of Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, NH/Central Catholic), as the sophomore guard paced the Gulls in the first half with a team-high 13 points.
The opening 20:00 minutes was a defensive struggle, with neither team shooting better than 30%. Both teams returned to the MacDonald Gymnasium with a more up-tempo style, and the points began to come in bunches. The Gulls came out of the gates flying, opening the second frame on a 9-2 run, pushing their lead to 20 with 14:31 remaining.
The Chargers responded with resilience, as Colby-Sawyer broke off a 14-2 run of their own to close the gap to just four. Noelle Surette led the charge for the visitors, as she scored nine of the 14 during the streak. The two teams exchanged buckets over the final minutes or action, with Colby-Sawyer's Emma Pasquale (Eliot, ME/Marshwood) picking up a critical lay-up to even the score at 60-all with fourty-one seconds remaining.
Following a CSC foul, Ceciley Chisholm (Lexington, MA/Lexington) hit one out of two free-throws to put Endicott up 61-60. The Chargers pushed the ensuing inbounds pass the other way, where Surette hit the game winner with just twelve seconds left as Colby-Sawyer grabbed the CCC win, 62-61.
Noelle Surette finished the night with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. The junior forward also shot an efficient 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Also with a big night for the Chargers was Emma Pasquale. The sophomore center ended the night with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals.
Endicott's Nicole Duchesne had her typical night, matching her season average with 13 points and 4 boards. However the sophomore guard was held scoreless in the final 20:00 minutes of play. Ceciley Chisholm ended the night with 11 points and six rebounds for the Blue and Green.
With this win, the Chargers move to 16-5 overall, and 13-1 in division to stay atop the CCC-North. Endicott (14-7 overall and 11-2 in the CCC) look to rebound on Saturday as they host Nichols College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM in Beverly, MA.