Beverly, Mass. – The Endicott women's basketball team jumped out to a 17-0 lead and never looked back, defeating visiting Lyndon State 84-20 in the first round of the Endicott Tip-off at MacDonald Gymnasium. The Gulls advance to Saturday's championship game against Wesleyan University at 2:00 pm. 

Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) scored a career-high 28 points, including 20 in the first half, to lead all scorers. The senior guard chipped in five steals and four three-pointers in just 15 minutes of action. All 15 members of the Blue and Green saw action on the night while 12 put their name in the scoring column.

Endicott (2-0) exploded for 17 unanswered points to start the game before a Donna Lawson (Irasburg, Vt.) jump shot put the Hornets on the board with 16:14 remaining. Wright accounted for much of the offense early, tallying 17 of Endicott's first 21 points of the game. She finished 9-for-13 from the floor including four-of-seven from long range.  Freshman guard Jordan Ferland's (Charlestown, N.H.) first collegiate basket made it 32-7 with 8:50 remaining in the half.

The Gulls led by as many as 33 in the first frame and took a 40-11 lead into the break. Freshman Samantha Crough (Cohasset, Mass.) chipped in eight first half points and finished with 18 points off the bench on 8-of-11 shooting.

Endicott continued to increase its lead throughout the second half as a number players made contributions. Freshman guard Heather Moody (Dunstable, Mass.) nailed a three pointer and added a layup to finish with five points.  Classmate Julie Manning (Hull, Mass.) pulled down five rebounds in nine minutes of action while Ferland chipped in five steals

Junior point guard Nicole Heffernan (Londonderry, N.H.) and sophomore guard Jen McBrien (Medfield, Mass.) each tallied five assists in the win.  Senior forward Catie Cullen (Beverly, Mass.) recorded a career-high five steals for the Gulls. 

Endicott scored 38 points off 38 Lyndon State turnovers and outscored the Hornets 40-8 in the paint. The Gulls also held a 42-9 advantage in bench scoring.

Lyndon State (0-1) was led by four points each by Stephanie Barclay (Barre, Vt.) and Morgan Diltz (Moultonboro, N.H.). Lawson pulled down 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who will take on Newbury in the consolation game at 12:00 pm.