Gulls cruise past Lions in conference opener
Beverly, Mass. – Senior duo Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass.) and Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) combined for 39 points as the Endicott women’s basketball team cruised to a 65-41 win over visiting Eastern Nazarene in the The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) opener for both teams. Ten players scored for the Gulls (7-4, 1-0), who extended a 14-point halftime lead with solid second-half defense.
Endicott quickly jumped out to an 8-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Freshman forward Samantha Crough (Cohasset, Mass.) converted a pair of free throws at 10:10 to give the hosts a 23-8 advantage. Eastern Nazarene (1-11, 0-1) trimmed the lead to 11 moments later on a Shardae Brown (Waterbury, Conn.) jumper. Brown finished with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) and was 8-of-10 from the floor.
The Gulls responded with a 10-0 run over the next 4:19 to build a 21-point lead (33-12), their largest of the half. The Lions scored the final six points of the first half and entered the locker room trailing 36-22.
Nicole Heffernan (Londonderry, N.H.) connected with Vitale for an easy bucket on the first play of the second half to push the lead to 16. Heffernan matched a career-high with seven assists two days after setting the mark at Salem State.
On the Lions’ next two possessions, Alexis Malloy (Greenbelt, Md.) found Brown for a pair of layups to make it 38-26. Following a Wright free throw, Ace Carradine (Honolulu, Hawaii) nailed a jumper to pull Eastern Nazarene within 11, the closest it would get in the half.
On the ensuing possession, Wright drilled one of her three 3-pointers on the day to give the Gulls a 14-point cushion. The Endicott bench, which outscored Eastern Nazarene 18-7, helped extend the lead late and pick up the conference win.
The Lions’ 23 turnovers led to 29 points for the Gulls, who have not lost a conference opener since 2004.
Sophomore guard Jen McBrien (Medfield, Mass.) chipped in six points and two assists in her first start of the season while senior forward Brittany Kelleher (Wakefield, Mass.) paced the Gulls on the glass with eight rebounds.
Alexis Malloy was the only other player to reach double-figures for Eastern Nazarene. Malloy finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Endicott turns its attention to a Tuesday (Jan. 11) meeting with Nichols in Dudley, Mass. The same day, Eastern Nazarene plays host to Wentworth at 6:00 pm.