Endicott edges Colby-Sawyer, 63-56
Feb. 4, 2009
BEVERLY, Mass. - Endicott's Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, N.H.) led all scorers with 19 points as the Endicott College Gulls defeated Colby-Sawyer College in The Commonwealth Coast Conference action on Wednesday night in Beverly, Mass. The Gulls improve to 16-4 overall and move to 7-1 in the TCCC while the Chargers drop to 12-7 (6-2 TCCC). The Gulls never trailed as Endicott avenged its TCCC Semifinal loss to the Chargers in last year's conference playoffs.
Endicott jumped out to an early lead as a layup by Nicole Young (Rockland, Mass.) gave the Gulls a 14-3 edge nearly eight minutes into the contest, prompting a Colby-Sawyer timeout. The Chargers quickly mounted a 6-0 run of its own to get back within five but it would be as close as they would get in the first half as Endicott built leads in excess of 14 points before heading into halftime with a 35-24 edge.
The Gulls would score 12 points in the paint compared to zero from the visitors while Endicott also had a 10-5 edge in points off turnovers in the first frame.
In the second half, a layup by Ceciley Chisholm (Lexington, Mass.) extended the Gulls lead up to 15 points a mere five minutes into the period. The Chargers would not go away quietly as they mounted a quick 16-7 run capped off by a free throw from Terri Duffy (Marshfield, Mass.) that cut the Endicott lead to 50-44.
The Chargers' three-point shooting would keep the game interesting as Kali Coleman (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Kayt Racz (Worthington, Mass.) each scored from deep in the final minutes to cut the Endicott lead to five points. Unfortunately, it would not be enough to get the Chargers over the top as the Gulls shot 5-7 from the free throw line down the stretch to ice the game at 63-56.
For the game, the Gulls outscored the Chargers in the paint by a 28-4 margin. The Gulls also scored 12 points on fast-breaks compared to just two for Colby-Sawyer. However, the Charger bench held the edge in bench points as the Colby-Sawyer reserves outscored Endicott's at a 42-19 clip.
Nicole Duchesne (19 points) was helped in the scoring department by Ceciley Chisholm who had 15 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting. The two also shared a game-high in steals with three a-piece. Duchesne and Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) each handed out a game-high four assists while Nicole Young chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds.
Kali Coleman and Kayt Racz came off the bench to lead the Chargers with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Terri Duffy contributed with 10 points and seven rebounds while Stevi Valle (Wales, Mass.), Emma Pasquale (Eliot, Mass.), and Amy Hebert (Keene, N.H.) each had three assists.
The Blue and Green look to continue their seven-game winning streak alive as they host Regis College in a TCCC contest on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Colby-Sawyer looks to rebound as they travel to Salve Regina for a tip-off at 1:00 p.m.