BRIDGEWATER, Mass. - Sophomore forward Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, MA) posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, and senior guard Nicole Duchesne (Plaistow, NH) poured in a game-high 20 points, to lead the Endicott College women's basketball team to a 71-52 victory over host Bridgewater State College this evening at the Tinsley Center in Bridgewater.
Vitale, who connected on 6 of 11 field goal attempts, also added five assists and five steals for the Gulls who improved to 4-3 on the season with the win. Duchesne finished 7-for-14 from the floor as well as 5-for-5 at the free throw line while also adding five steals.
Sophomore forward Carolyn Swanson (Stoughton, MA) paced the Bears (5-3) with 11 points and five rebounds. Freshman guard Stephanie Houtman (New Bedford, MA) added seven points, seven assists and four steals.
Endicott scored the first eight points of the first half and closed it out with a 10-2 run to take control of the game. BSC was able to cut the deficit to three points at 26-23 midway through the opening stanza but the Gulls scored 10 of the final 12 points of the half to take a 36-25 lead into the intermission.
Endicott upped the lead to 45-30 midway through the second half. The Bears were able to pull to within nine on two separate occasions, but could not get any closer. The final score of 71-52 was also the biggest lead of the game.
Endicott shot 48% from the floor and 75% from the free throw line. Bridgewater connected on just 30% of their field goal attempts including 3 of 18 from behind the arc. The Bears did, however, hold a slight 42-39 rebounding advantage.
Senior forward Nicole Young (Rockland, MA) added 12 points and nine rebounds for the visitors, while sophomore guard Ashley Wright (Merrimack, NH) chipped in with 13 points off the bench.
For the Bears, junior guard Brittany Chappron (Braintree, MA) added nine points while senior forward Ashley Coucci (Dartmouth, MA) led the team with ten rebounds.
The Bears are off until January 2nd when they take on William Paterson University in the Moravian Winter Classic. Tip-Off is slated for 6 PM. Endicott takes on Saint Joseph's College on Saturday in the semifinals of the Maine Maritime Tournament.