BEVERLY, Mass. - Senior Kayleen Whall (Foxboro, Mass.) scored eight of her team-high 12 points in the second half as the Endicott College women's basketball team held off Wentworth Institute of Technology, 59-53, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at MacDonald Gymnasium.
With the win the Gulls improve to 7-9 overall and 3-6 in CCC play while the Leopards fall to 4-12 (2-7).
Endicott led for most of the early portion of the first half and took a 14-8 lead when freshman Sam Charette (Wenham, Mass.) sank one of two free throws. Wentworth scored the next four points with sophomore Kellie Messer (Hollis, N.H.) and junior Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) converting back-to-back baskets.
After freshman Savannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine) hit a basket to put the Gulls ahead by a 16-12 score, the Leopards went on an 11-0 run and took a 23-16 lead after freshman Riselly Deoleo (Manchester, N.H.) hit a layup with 6:25 left. During the run, junior Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) had five points, Deoleo four, and freshman Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) two.
Endicott answered with a 16-0 run and led by 11 (32-23) with 2:26 left after freshman Hannah Kiernan (Wenham, Mass.) hit a three-pointer. Rogers ended the drought with a jumper with two minutes left to bring the deficit back to single digits and Endicott would lead, 38-28, heading into the locker room.
Deoleo and Rogers opened the second half with baskets to trim the lead to six. The Gulls held a 42-34 lead with 16:13 left after a senior Katelyn Wright (Sudbury, Mass.) basket before an 11-2 Wentworth run gave the Leopards a 45-44 lead after a Rogers basket with 13:02 left.
Shaw hit two free throws 3:17 apart to put the hosts ahead by a point and Endicott built its lead to six with just over seven minutes left. A 7-1 spurt made it a 52-52 contest after a Messer basket with 4:50 left. On the next possession, Whall gave the Gulls the lead for good with a basket.
Wentworth was held to just one point over the final 4:20 as the Gulls pulled ahead for the 59-53 win.
Shaw recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds while junior Nicole Catizone (Woburn, Mass.) rounded out a trio of players in double figures with 10 points. Wright had seven points, five assists, and five steals.
Rogers led all scorers with 22 points to go along with nine rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Deoleo added 17 points, four assists, and three steals. The Leopards held the Gulls to under 40 percent shooting from the floor for the contest.
Both teams continue CCC play on Saturday with Wentworth hosting Curry and Endicott hosting Eastern Nazarene.
