BEVERLY, Mass. – Four players scored in double figures for the Endicott College women's basketball team as the Gulls used a 26-7 third quarter to pull away from Wentworth Institute of Technology, 78-57, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at MacDonald Gymnasium.
The Gulls snap a four-game losing streak to improve to 4-7 overall and 3-1 in league play while the Leopards fall to 2-9 (0-4).
Wentworth took the lead early in the contest, jumping out to a 7-3 advantage with 7:48 left in the opening frame. Five of the Leopards' seven points came from junior Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.). A junior Hannah Kiernan (Wenham, Mass.) layup and three-point play gave Endicott an 8-7 lead, however on the next possession sophomore Francesca Matira (Ledyard, Conn.) drained a three to give Wentworth the lead back.
The Gulls used an 11-4 run to take a 21-14 lead on a junior Hannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine) layup with 3:17 left in the quarter and extended their lead to 24-14 on a junior Sam Charette (Wenham, Mass.) layup. Wentworth closed out the quarter on a 7-0 run, capped off by a junior Courtney McCormick (Hanson, Mass.) three pointer with three ticks remaining. Both teams shot 50 percent from the floor during the first quarter.
Wentworth's run extended to 10-0 on a freshman Sam McGibbon (Pembroke, Mass.) three pointer to open the second quarter before Endicott scored the next seven points – capped off by a junior Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Mass.) three pointer – to take a 31-24 lead. The Gulls, who held the Leopards without a field goal over the final 5:07 of the half, would extend their lead to as many as 10 before taking a 38-31 lead at the break.
The third quarter saw the hosts scoring the first four points of the stanza and keeping the Black & Gold off the scoreboard for the first 3:51. A Sabino layup ended the drought, and after a senior Sarah Hood (Burlington, Mass.) basket, sophomore Michelle McCloskey (Madison, Conn.) countered with a jumper to cut the deficit back to nine. Endicott would extend its lead with a 10-0 run before McGibbon ended the run with a three with 2:21 left. That would be the last basket for the Leopards as Endicott closed out the frame on a 10-0 run.
Wentworth outscored the Gulls 19-14 in the fourth quarter as the Leopards shot 54.5 percent from the floor and held the hosts to 27.8 percent.
Coppola led Endicott with 14 points to go along with six assists. Shaw had 12 points and seven rebound, Kiernan added 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, and six steals. Hood recorded a double-double scoring 10 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while also dishing out four assists and blocking three shots.
Sabino led all scorers with 17 points to go along with seven rebounds. McCloskey finished with nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals, while Matira and McCormick had seven points apiece.
Wentworth hosts Western New England on Thursday.
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