Gulls come back against Vikings, win 73-65
Jan. 7, 2009
SALEM, Mass. - The Endicott College Gulls erased a three-point halftime deficit en route to a 73-65 non-conference win over the Salem State Lady Vikings on Wednesday night at James Twohig Gymnasium in Salem, Mass. The Gulls improve their record to 8-3 while winning their sixth consecutive contest while Salem State drops to 5-6 on the season. The Gulls were led by senior Nicole Young (Rockland, Mass.) who had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Endicott trailed by as many as six points in the first half while holding a lead by as many as five. The score was tied seven times while the lead changed hands eight times in the first half, however the Vikings took the lead at the break, 36-33.
The Gulls mounted their second half comeback behind the solid play of senior guard Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, NH) and sophomore forward Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, MA). Duchesne scored 15 of her 18 points over the final 20 minutes and dished out a team-high five assists. Vitale netted 10 points in each half to finish with a team-high 20, while also grabbing a game-high four steals.
The Lady Vikings received a team-high 20 points from freshman guard Amy Barry (Manchester, NH), including 17 in the first half. Barry made a game-high four three-pointers while junior forward Manise Louinord (Lynn, MA) contributed 16 points, collected a game-high 11 boards and recorded a team-high three steals. Junior guard Jakoya Wilkins (Dorchester, MA) chipped in with 10 points, a pair of steals and a team-high five assists.
Despite dropping the contest, the SSC program celebrated the 1,000th career point of junior center Danielle Jenkins (Marlborough). Jenkins, who is now listed No. 17 among SSC women's basketball all-time scorers, converted an easy lay-up midway through the first half to reach the milestone achievement. Jenkins, who has 1,007 career points, would go on to finish the game with 10 points and six rebounds.
The Gulls return to the hardwood on Saturday when they host Eastern Nazarene in the first TCCC matchup of the year for Endicott at 1:00 p.m. Salem State's next game will be Tuesday, January 13 when the Lady Vikings travel to North Adams to open their MASCAC schedule with a 5:30 p.m. tip off against the Trailblazers of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.