SCRANTON, Pa. – The Endicott women’s basketball team defeated No. 12/12 nationally ranked Scranton, 65-56, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at the John Long Center.
With the win, the Gulls (19-10) will play No. 20/24 Christopher Newport (24-4) tomorrow in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 5 PM. Endicott also secured its first-ever victory over a nationally ranked opponent (based upon available data) and its first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, Scranton sees its 2019-20 season come to a close at 24-4 overall. The Royals entered the 2019-20 season fresh off an NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance from a year ago that saw them return three out of their top-5 scorers and four starters from that squad into the fold this year. This was Scranton’s 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, which includes nine Final Four appearances, one NCAA national championship (1985), and an overall record of 66-36 (. 647, counting tonight’s game).
Kaleigh Putnam (Wallingford, Conn.) paced the Gulls with a game-high 22 points (7-16 FG, 2-4 3PT, 6-9 FT).
Mikaela Rogers (Haverhill, Mass.) also added 15 points, while Shannon Gilbert (Easton, Conn.) and Emily Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Tied 25-25 with 3:07 left to play in the second quarter, the Gulls answered with an 8-4 run and all the momentum they needed headed into the break. Pratt swished a pair of three-pointers (30-25, 1:19 | 33-29, 0:09), while Rogers canned a layup at the 2:09 mark to get the run started.
From there, both teams nearly went basket-for-basket in the third but an and-one basket by Rogers with four-seconds to play in the quarter negated Scranton’s momentum and turned its smallest deficit (47-46) of the contest since the game was tied at 25-25 into a possession matchup before the start of the fourth.
Endicott once again used that quarter-ending momentum to its advantage as the Gulls produced an 8-5 run in the opening 6:25 of play to secure a 58-51 lead. Rogers fueled the run with six points, while Mariah Chamberlain (Jaffrey, N.H.) also chipped in with a jumper at the 5:51 mark (59-46).
After Scranton cut its deficit to six points (58-52) with 3:18 remaining in the game, the Gulls came up clutch at the free throw line going 7-for-10 at the charity stripe to sure up the win. Putnam buried four free throws, while Olivia Duncan (Essex Junction, Vt.) swished three of her own.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- This was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
- Endicott extended its winning streak to seven straight games.
- This was only the second loss at home for Scranton this season.
- Endicott led for 34:58 in tonight’s contest.
- The Gulls’ biggest lead was 10 points, which occurred four times in the matchup (16-6, 1:13, 1st QT | 18-8, 9:48, 2nd QT | 62-52, 0:40, 4th QT | 63-53, 0:33, 4th QT).
- Scranton was ranked No. 12 overall in the latest Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and D3hoops.com national rankings. The Royals started out the 2019-20 season ranked No. 3 in the D3hoops.com Preseason Poll and No. 5 on the WBCA Preseason Poll.
- Christopher Newport is currently ranked No. 20 in the WBCA Poll and No. 24 by D3hoops.com.
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott will play No. will play No. 20/24 Christopher Newport (24-4) tomorrow in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at 5 PM. The Captains enter tomorrow’s matchup on a 16-game winning streak
TICKETS: $7 adults | $4 students, children (2 & up), seniors (over age 61) | children under 2 free
BEVERLY, Mass. — The Endicott women’s basketball team will take on No. 20/24 nationally ranked Christopher Newport in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at 5 PM in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Here’s a preview of Saturday’s NCAA Tournament matchup, hosted by the University of Scranton.
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- This is the first-ever meeting between Endicott and Christopher Newport.
- Christopher Newport extended its winning streak to 16 straight games by defeating Widener, 82-66, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament yesterday. Meanwhile, the 16-game winning streak is the fourth-longest active winning streak in Division III.
- The Captains have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament for five straight seasons.
- Christopher Newport will make its 14th NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance in program history on Saturday. Conversely, it will be the first appearance for Endicott after the Gulls defeated No. 12/12 Scranton, 65-56, in their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance on Friday.
- The Captains enter Saturday’s matchup against Endicott with the following NCAA Division III national rankings listed on their resume: No. 3 in points (2,231), No. 7 scoring offense (79.7 points per game), No. 3 in turnovers forced per game (28.07), No. 6 in steals (430), No. 7 in steals per game (15.4), No. 14 in turnover margin (7.32), No. 15 in scoring margin (17.9), No. 20 in rebounds (1,256), No. 38 in rebounds per game (44.86), No. 33 in assists (438), and No. 53 in assists per game (15.6).
WHAT’S NEXT
The winner between Endicott and No. 20/24 Christopher Newport will play the winner of Texas-Dallas and Mary Hardin-Baylor on Friday, March 13 (time and place TBD).
