Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--Senior tri-captain
Emily Savino scored a game-high 25 points, including 10 of 13 from the free throw line, but it wasn't enough as visiting Endicott pulled off a 68-60 upset Tuesday over Western New England in a No. 5/4 quarterfinal matchup of the 2013 Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship Tournament at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
The Gulls (16-10 overall) advance to the conference semifinals to face top-seeded University of New England, a 62-32 winner against Wentworth, on Thursday. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, fall to 15-11 on the season and are hopeful to receive a bid to the Eastern College Athletic Conference New England Tournament, whose field will be announced on Monday, Feb. 25.
Jennifer White and Samantha Crough scored 18 and 15 points apiece for Endicott, which trailed 30-24 at halftime. Crough, who also had game highs of four steals and nine rebounds, led a strong rebounding effort for the Gulls, who pulled down 37 against WNE's 28. Julie Manning and Jen McBrien added eight rebounds each.
The Gulls started the second half on a six-point run to knot the score at 30-all as Manning made two layups and Crough hit a jumper.
After a pair of free throws by Savino, Western New England maintained a small lead of up to five points for 4 minutes and 12 seconds until the 13:43 mark when a White trey put Endicott in the lead to stay, 44-43.
The Golden Bears were able to tie it on a couple occasions, 44-44 and 48-48, but the Gulls' defense held WNE to only one made field goal for the final 10:01 of the contest to take the season series, 2-1.
In the first half, Western New England shot well over 60 percent to start the game on a 10-2 run by the 15:00 mark. Freshman
Chelsea Vujs scored eight points during that stretch to spark the Golden Bears.
Endicott eventually came back to tie it 17-all on a Nicole Catizone (9 points) 3-pointer with 8:30 to go, as the Gulls took advantage of nine WNE turnovers to score 12 points to get back in the game.
The teams then traded baskets before a
Sarah Shields lay-in started a 9-2 run to turn a WNE 22-21 deficit into a 30-24 advantage at the break.
