Beverly, Mass. – Endicott built a nine-point halftime lead and survived a late rally from Regis to bounce back from its first conference loss of the season and defeat the Pride 64-61 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) women's basketball action inside MacDonald Gymnasium.
The Gulls led by 12 with just over two minutes to play before the visitors erupted for 11 unanswered points to close the gap to one. Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) hit a pair of free throws with 27 seconds remaining to push the lead to three before the Endicott defense denied Regis on its final possession of the game.
Endicott (14-5, 8-1 TCCC) shot well from the floor but struggled from long range. The Gulls shot 55% inside the arc but were just 1-for-8 from deep. Regis, on the other hand, used the 3-pointer to stay within striking distance. The Pride shot 50% (11 of 22) on the afternoon including 5 of 9 in the second half.
The hosts jumped out to an early 6-1 lead behind a pair of field goals from senior center Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass.), who finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Regis (11-10, 5-4 TCCC) did not record its first field goal until the 16:24 mark of the opening half when Alex Chace (North Easton, Mass.) drilled her first of seven 3-pointers on the day to pull the visitors within two (6-4). Endicott responded by scoring the next eight points and led 14-4 with 13:55 remaining.
With the Gulls leading 22-12, Regis rattled off a 5-0 run before Jennifer White's (Lisbon, N.H.) layup ignited a 7-0 run to push the lead to 12 with 4:10 left.
Chace drilled three straight from beyond the arc in the final four minutes of the half for Regis, which entered the locker rooms trailing by just nine despite 58% shooting from the floor by Endicott in the opening half.
The Pride got within five on three separate occasions in the second half before the Gulls utilized a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 62-50 with 2:10 to go. Endicott would not record another field goal for the remainder of the game as Regis pieced together an 11-0 run to inch within one.
Wright's free throws and a timely stop on the defensive end proved to be the difference for the Gulls.
Senior Brittany Kelleher (Wakefield, Mass.) was perfect from the floor (5-for-5) and the charity stripe (4-for-4) en route to a team-high 14 points. The forward added eight rebounds including three on the offensive end.
Freshman guard Ashley Walenta (Plainfield, Conn.) chipped in nine points for the Gulls while Wright and freshman Jordan Ferland (Charlestown, N.H.) added eight apiece. Wright also dished out a career-high seven assists.
Chace scorched the nets for 24 points on 8 of 13 shooting including the seven 3-pointers. Junior guard Stephanie Crawford (Rockland, Mass.) scored 15 points while senior forward Sarah McNult (Hampstead, N.H.) added eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds for the Pride.
Endicott returns to the floor on Tuesday (Feb. 8) when it plays host to the University of New England at 6:00 pm. Regis hosts Western New England at 5:30 pm the same day.