Gulls soar past WNEC, 79-48
Jan. 17, 2009
BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott College women's basketball team improved to 2-1 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference with a 79-48 victory over visiting Western New England College on Saturday afternoon. The Gulls improve to 11-4 overall while the Golden Bears drop to 6-8 (2-1 TCCC). The Gulls had four scorers in double figures as Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.), Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, N.H.), Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass.), and Ceciley Chisholm (Lexington, Mass.) all topped double digits.
Endicott got the ball rolling early as they took a quick 8-0 lead to start the game. The Golden Bears would score a quick four points to respond but that would be the closest Western New England would get. The Gulls jumped all over the Golden Bears with a 41-12 run, and led by as many as 33 points, taking the lead into halftime at 49-16. Endicott outscored WNEC in the paint 28-4 in the frame and scored 14 points off turnovers.
The Gulls would remain in control throughout the rest of the game as the Golden Bears would only get as close as 24 points. Endicott took its largest lead of the game, 34 points, on a jumper by Shaina Manuel (Beverly, Mass.) with only two minutes to play in the game. WNEC outscored Endicott in the frame, 32-30, but it would not be enough. The Gulls dominated the paint in the second period as they again outscored the Golden Bears 16-6 from inside and ran away with the game, 79-48.
Endicott was led by its four scorers in double figures including a double-double from Ashley Vitale with 17 points and 10 rebounds, 14 points from Nicole Duchesne, and 13 points apiece from Ashley Wright and Ceciley Chisholm. Kaylin Burke (Leominster, Mass.) also chipped in with a strong performance of five rebounds and six assists.
The Golden Bears were led by Kailah Al-Darraji (Dover, N.H.) who had 15 points and three rebounds. Taryn Belowsky (New Haven, Conn.) had eight points and eight boards while Krystal James (West Haven, Conn.) had seven assists.
The Blue and Green return to action on January 21st as they travel to Anna Maria for another TCCC matchup at 6:00 p.m. Western New England will travel to Wentworth on January 21st for a conference matchup scheduled for 5:30 p.m.