Salem State Edges Women’s Basketball, 66-62

SALEM, Mass. — The Endicott women's basketball team lost to Salem State, 66-62, in non-conference action on Saturday evening at Twohig Gymnasium.

Tara Laugeni (Woodbridge, Conn.) led all scorers with 24 points (11-19 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals.

Emily St. Thomas (Sterling, Mass.) also contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in the loss.

Trailing 46-40 entering the fourth quarter, the Gulls produced a 10-4 run to pull the game even at 50-50 with 5:26 remaining.

Laugeni guided the offense with six points, while St. Thomas and Sarah Dempsey (Windham, N.H.) chipped in with two points apiece.

From there, the contest featured three ties and four lead changes until Libby Fleming (Bangor, Maine) buried a go-ahead three-pointer with seven seconds to play, forcing the Vikings to take a 30-second timeout.

Salem State found a way to regroup out of the huddle converting an and-one jumper (0:03) and two free throws (0:01) to lock up the win.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Vikings improved to 4-2 at home this season.
• Laugeni registered exactly 24 points for the second straight game.
• She has scored 20 or more points in three out of her last four contests.
• Salem State snapped Endicott's two-game winning streak in the all-time series.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (3-5) returns to action on Friday, December 30 against Eastern Connecticut State University at 3 PM, as part of the Babson Holiday Tournament.

Salem State (5-6) visits Coast Guard on December 30 at 1 PM. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

(Photo Credit - Chris Lyons '22)