Jan 29, 2015
BEVERLY, Mass. -- Endicott College saw the University of New England reduce a 10-point cushion to just one inside the final minute, but held on for a 60-58 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's basketball victory on Thursday evening (Jan. 29) at MacDonald Gymnasium.
The Gulls (8-9, 4-6 CCC) never trailed in the contest and led 49-39 with less than six minutes to play, before a 14-6 run by the Nor'easters (14-4, 10-1 CCC) in 4:18 had the gap down to two (55-53). UNE's Meghan Gribbin started and ended the stretch with three-pointers, and Kelly Coleman had six points in the middle.
A Kelsey Cuddy layup made the difference four, but a trey by Alanna Vose pulled Big Blue to within 57-56 at the 0:49 mark.
Endicott's Hannah Shaw converted a three-point play with 24 seconds left to up the margin to 60-56, only to have UNE'sAlicia Brown knock down a jumper with 12 ticks remaining to make it a one-possession game.
The Gulls came up empty on the front-end of a 1-and-1, leaving the door open for the Nor'easters, but the layup attempt to tie as time expired rolled around the rim and out.
Cuddy filled the stat sheet for the hosts, totaling 17 points, nine rebounds, six steals, five assists, and three blocks. Kayleen Whall added 15 points and Shaw finished with 10 for Endicott, which shot 48 percent from the field on the night.
For UNE, Brown made 9-of-14 field goal tries and registered a career-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds and three blocks. Coleman contributed 19 points, including 15 over the closing 20 minutes. In addition to her six points, Gribbin picked up five steals. Lauren Hayden notched seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals in support.
Hayden first theft of the match was the 279th of her career, moving the junior into 1st place on the program's all-time steals list, ahead of 2012 graduate Kelley Paradis.
Coleman jumped two spots into the top 10 (9th) on UNE's all-time scoring list, by reaching the 1,300-point plateau on the number with a three-point play near the end of the contest.
The Gulls took advantage of a slow start by their opponent (1-for-11 shooting, 4 turnovers) to build a 15-3 lead after 7:31 of action. The spread reached as high as 14 (22-8) and settled on 10 (31-21) at halftime. Big Blue connected on just 32 percent of its shot attempts in the opening frame.
Endicott tallied the first four of the 2nd period to regain a 14-point cushion, but eight straight points by the Nor'easters (including 6 from Brown) kept things within striking distance (35-29).
Both teams are on the road for CCC outings on Saturday (1 p.m.), with the Gulls visiting Gordon College (1-9 CCC) and UNE making a trip to Eastern Nazarene College (5-5 CCC).
The Gulls (8-9, 4-6 CCC) never trailed in the contest and led 49-39 with less than six minutes to play, before a 14-6 run by the Nor'easters (14-4, 10-1 CCC) in 4:18 had the gap down to two (55-53). UNE's Meghan Gribbin started and ended the stretch with three-pointers, and Kelly Coleman had six points in the middle.
A Kelsey Cuddy layup made the difference four, but a trey by Alanna Vose pulled Big Blue to within 57-56 at the 0:49 mark.
Endicott's Hannah Shaw converted a three-point play with 24 seconds left to up the margin to 60-56, only to have UNE'sAlicia Brown knock down a jumper with 12 ticks remaining to make it a one-possession game.
The Gulls came up empty on the front-end of a 1-and-1, leaving the door open for the Nor'easters, but the layup attempt to tie as time expired rolled around the rim and out.
Cuddy filled the stat sheet for the hosts, totaling 17 points, nine rebounds, six steals, five assists, and three blocks. Kayleen Whall added 15 points and Shaw finished with 10 for Endicott, which shot 48 percent from the field on the night.
For UNE, Brown made 9-of-14 field goal tries and registered a career-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds and three blocks. Coleman contributed 19 points, including 15 over the closing 20 minutes. In addition to her six points, Gribbin picked up five steals. Lauren Hayden notched seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals in support.
Hayden first theft of the match was the 279th of her career, moving the junior into 1st place on the program's all-time steals list, ahead of 2012 graduate Kelley Paradis.
Coleman jumped two spots into the top 10 (9th) on UNE's all-time scoring list, by reaching the 1,300-point plateau on the number with a three-point play near the end of the contest.
The Gulls took advantage of a slow start by their opponent (1-for-11 shooting, 4 turnovers) to build a 15-3 lead after 7:31 of action. The spread reached as high as 14 (22-8) and settled on 10 (31-21) at halftime. Big Blue connected on just 32 percent of its shot attempts in the opening frame.
Endicott tallied the first four of the 2nd period to regain a 14-point cushion, but eight straight points by the Nor'easters (including 6 from Brown) kept things within striking distance (35-29).
Both teams are on the road for CCC outings on Saturday (1 p.m.), with the Gulls visiting Gordon College (1-9 CCC) and UNE making a trip to Eastern Nazarene College (5-5 CCC).