BEVERLY, Mass. – After taking a double digit lead in the first half, the Endicott Gulls women's basketball team survived a late push from Roger Williams and defeated the Hawks 57-49 Saturday afternoon at MacDonald Gymnasium. It was the ninth straight time that Endicott has emerged victorious between the two Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) foes and also marked the first defeat for the Hawks this season.
Jennifer White (Lisbon, N.H.) poured in 16 points to lead Endicott in scoring, while senior guard Nicole Heffernan (Londonderry, N.H.) contributed 12 points and four steals as the Gulls evened their conference record at 1-1, while improving to 2-3 overall.
The Gulls never trailed in the first half, opening the game on a 19-4 run and leading by as many as 15 twice. Endicott had an eleven point margin at halftime and led again by fifteen in the beginning of the second half, only to see the Hawks surge back and take a four point lead at 43-39, outscoring Endicott 23-8 over the first twelve minutes of the second stanza.
A steal and a layup by guard Kaitlyn Bovee (Berlin, Conn.) gave the Hawks their first lead of the day before Paige Congdon (Westwood, Mass.) would add a layup to increase the margin to four, the biggest advantage the visitors would hold all afternoon.
A back and forth game ensued until, with four minutes left, Endicott sophomore forward Jordan Ferland (Charlestown, N.H.) came up with a clutch block and finished a bucket on the other end to give Endicott the lead for good at 48-47. Seven free throws, two by Ferland down the stretch sealed the game for Endicott.
Ferland was the last of three Endicott players in double-digits with ten points on the afternoon and three big blocks. Freshman point guard Katelyn Wright (Sudbury, Mass.) led the team with five assists and Ashley Walenta (Plainfield, Conn.) chipped in three dimes of her own.
Bovee led all scorers with 20 points for Roger Williams, while also pulling down nine boards and swiping two passes. Congdon chipped in six points and led the team with eleven rebounds, all off the bench, to help Roger Williams outrebound Endicott 49-45. The Gulls were led on the glass by Kayleen Whall (Foxboro, Mass.) and White, who each grabbed 9 caroms.
The Hawks got eight points and three assists from guard Ryan Weekes (Worcester, Mass.), while Alexandra Lanieri (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) also grabbed nine rebounds in defeat.
Endicott will play three straight non-conference games, beginning next Thursday with a 7:30 pm game at Emerson College. Roger Williams (4-1, 1-1 CCC) prepares for an out-of-conference game themselves when they host Brandeis next Sunday at 1:00 pm.