BOSTON, Mass. (1/6/18) – Freshman Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookeline, N.H.) scored 15 points to lead the Endicott women's basketball team over Wentworth Institute of Technology, 84-49, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Saturday afternoon inside Tansey Gymnasium.
The Gulls pick up their first win of 2018 and improve to 5-5 overall and 3-1 in league play, while the Leopards drop to 1-10 this season and 0-4 against league opponents.
Endicott jumped to a 6-0 lead in the opening quarter, before Wentworth pulled within one, 6-5, on a layup from senior Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) and a three-pointer from freshman Erin Morton (Norway, Maine). Both teams traded back-to-back treys, capped by a shot from downtown by sophomore Emily Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) to keep the Gulls ahead 12-8. Stapelfeld gave Endicott its first double-digit lead of the game at 2:16, in the midst of an 11-4 run to end the quarter with a 23-12 advantage.
The Gulls kept their double-digit lead throughout the game's remainder, despite an eight-point second quarter performance from Wentworth newcomer Tan'eja Drayton (Roxbury, Mass.), who finished with 13 points in her collegiate debut. Endicott took its double-digit lead into the final buzzer of the conference tilt, grabbing their largest lead of 39 points (75-36) with 9:28 left in regulation.
Drayton's 13 points led all Leopards on the court, while Sabino scored 11 points with three rebounds. Sophomore Samantha Madden (Plainville, Mass.) and junior Michelle McCloskey (Madison, Conn.) each pulled down five rebounds to lead Wentworth on the glass.
Endicott saw five starters hit double-figures, as freshman Tessa Lafrance (Salisbury, Mass.) scored 13 points behind Stapelfeld. Pratt, senior Hannah Kiernan (Wenham, Mass.), and sophomore Mikaela Rogers (Haverhill, Mass.) each contributed 11 points apiece, while senior Sam Charette (Wenham, Mass.) jumped up for a team-high four blocks with eight boards.
Both teams return to CCC action on Tuesday, January 9 at 5:30 p.m. The Leopards host Gordon College, while the Gulls welcome the Golden Bears of Western New England University.
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