Beverly, Mass. - Playing in their final regular-season home game, seniors Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass.), Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.), and Brittany Kelleher (Wakefield, Mass.) combined for 46 points in a convincing 69-45 win over visiting Curry in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) women's basketball matchup.
Endicott (16-8, 10-3) won its second straight entering the TCCC Tournament and will host Regis on Tuesday (Feb. 22) as the number four seed. Curry (17-8, 6-7) limps into the conference tournament as the eight seed having lost two straight to close out the regular season. The Colonels will travel to top-seeded Salve Regina on Tuesday.
The senior trio outscored the visitors all by themselves. Vitale finished with a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds while Wright chipped in 16 points, seven boards, and six steals in 37 minutes of action. Kelleher added 11 points and five rebounds in the win as the Gulls look to carry some momentum into the tournament.
Freshman Jennifer White (Lisbon, N.H.) set career highs with 11 points and eight rebounds for the Blue and Green.
Julia Scrubb (Stowe, Vt.) was the only player in double figures for the Colonels. The sophomore guard led the way with ten points and six rebounds off the bench. Freshman guard Lauren McGrath (Southampton, Mass.) added nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from beyond the arc while Joneiha Veiga (Brockton, Mass.) scored nine.
The Gulls were first on the board in a game they never trailed. The first half, though, featured tough defense by both sides. Curry shot just 29 percent in the opening period and was 1 of 10 from long distance. Endicott managed just 19 points from the field but hit 10 of 12 free throws in the opening 20 minutes.
A pair of free throws by Scrubb with 11:29 to go in the first half pulled the Colonels within one (11-10) but Endicott converted on its next two possessions to push the lead to five. Kelleher nailed a jumper with just over five minutes remaining to give the Gulls a six point advantage before Veiga's jumper capped a 5-0 run by the visitors to get within one.
The hosts closed the half on a 10-0 run over the final minute and a half to take a 29-18 lead into the locker rooms.
Endicott's lead ballooned to 17 midway through the second half and as many as 27 down the stretch.
The Gulls forced 22 turnovers – 11 in each half – en route to 19 points in the win. Curry's bench outscored its counterpart 30-7 on the afternoon.
Endicott will host in the opening round of the TCCC Tournament for the seventh straight season. Tuesday's rematch with Regis comes just over two weeks after the Gulls defeated the Pride 64-61 inside MacDonald Gymnasium. Regis has not lost a game since (4-0).
Curry travels to Salve Regina exactly two weeks after falling to the Seahawks 58-49 in Newport, R.I.