Endicott Men’s Basketball Wins
SPRINGFIELD – The Endicott men’s basketball team pulled away from Western New England with less than five minutes remaining in the contest via a 14-7 run to lock up an eventual 92-85 conference victory on Tuesday night at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.) guided the Gulls late in the matchup with five points during the final moments of the game to finish with a game-high 43 total points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field (7-for-11 3PT, 6-8 FT). Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.), Rob O’Brien (Rindge, N.H.), and Joel Villa (Bronx, N.Y.) also contributed baskets during the run with Villa’s being the dagger – a jumper to make it 89-85 – with 11-seconds to play.
Joe Shehadi (Dorset, Vt.) rounded out the scoring in the 14-7 run with three free throws down the stretch.
Tonight’s matchup featured nine ties and 10 lead changes before all was said and done.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
Endicott is 14-6 all-time against Western New England.
Tonight’s win also completed the regular season series sweep for the Gulls (W, 69-59, 1/9/18 | W, 92-85, 1/30/18).
O’Brien paced the team with a career-high 11 rebounds in addition to his six points.
Endicott is 8-3 on the road this season.
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott (14-6, 9-4 CCC) hosts Eastern Nazarene this Saturday at 3 PM. Western New England (8-11, 5-8 CCC) welcomes Dean College to its campus on Thursday, February 1 at 7 PM.
Endicott Women’s Basketball Wins
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – A 20-point effort by sophomore guard Emily Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) led the Endicott women’s basketball team to a 56-47 victory over Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) rival Western New England on Tuesday evening.
After falling behind after the first quarter, Pratt catapulted the Gulls over the next two quarters by scoring 14 of her game-high 20 points. The guard would hit 8-of-15 attempts from the floor as well as all four free throw attempts to lead all scorers. Four rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block also filled the box score for Pratt.
Endicott turned a four-point deficit after the opening 10 minutes into a five point advantage by outscoring the Golden Bears 21-12 in the second quarter. Pratt netted six points in the second and with the help of freshman guard and four-time CCC Rookie of the Week Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.), who scored six points as well, Endicott took a 27-25 lead into the halftime break.
Endicott led 42-35 at the start of the fourth quarter and thanks to a seven-point outburst by senior forward Sam Charette (Wenham, Mass.), the Gulls went on to hold off Western New England 56-47 on the road. Charette finished the game with nine points off the bench.
WHAT’S NEXT Endicott (11-9, 9-4 CCC) begins the month of February and their path to the conference playoffs with a home game on Saturday, February 3 at 1:00 PM. Western New England (12-8, 8-5 CCC) looks to rebound on Saturday at Gordon for a 1:00 PM tip-off.
Endicott Volleyball Wins
BEVERLY – The Endicott men’s volleyball team erased a late 20-15 deficit in set three to claim an eventual 3-1 victory over Johnson & Wales University (JWU) by scores of 25-21, 21-25, 25-22, and 25-15 on Tuesday night at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Newly minted Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Men’s Division III National Player of the Week Bryn Lipton (Rockford, Ill.) led all student-athletes with a match-high 19 kills (.405) alongside two service aces, five digs, and one block assist.
Donovan Dey (Fairport, N.Y.) ripped home 14 kills, while Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) and Jeremy Doski (Sandy Hook, Conn.) both contributed eight kills apiece in the win. Riorden also compiled a match-high 16 digs.
Trailing 20-15 in the third set with the match tied at 1-1, the Gulls rallied behind three kills each from Lipton and Doski. Dey also pitched in with one kill, while Riorden had one kill and the set-clinching service ace that gave Endicott all the momentum it needed in the fourth.
The Gulls wasted little time in the final stanza racing out to a 21-13 advantage before JWU finally took it second timeout, however it was too late. Endicott capitalized on a service error to go up 22-13, and later received two kills from Dey and a match-winning kill by Riorden.
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott (7-0) travels to No. 10 Wentworth this Thursday at 7 PM. JWU (3-6) hosts Rivier on Tuesday, February 6 at 7 PM.
Salem State Women’s Hockey Loses
SALEM – Taylor Osowski (Highlands Ranch Colo.) scored two third period goals to lead the Utica Pioneers past the Salem State Vikings 3-2 in a non-conference matchup at Rockett Arena on Tuesday night.
Trailing 2-1 in the final period, Osowski tied the game for Utica when she deposited a loose puck in front of the net just seconds after a Salem State power play expired. Osowski then ripped the game-winner with just over six minutes remaining as the Pioneers held on for the one-goal victory. The Vikings had one last chance in the final minutes as Utica sent two to the box, and with the goalie pulled, Salem State’s attempt to tie came up short.
Danielle Kelley (Charlestown, Mass.) put the Vikings on the scoreboard first when she created a turnover near center ice and beat goalie Ryann Stripp (Holland Parent, N.Y.) just 2:26 into the game.
Kelly Critzer (West Salem, Ohio) tied the game 1-1 for Utica when she punched in a rebound at the 14:46 mark. However, less than three minutes later, Kerryann Goode (Millis, Mass.) put the Vikings back on top when her shot beat Stripp glove-side for a 2-1 Salem State lead.
Stripp made 13 saves in her first start while Isabelle Woodward (Ottawa, Ontario) stopped for the Vikings.
