Endicott Falls to UMass Boston In Season Opener 68-65 at Pepsi Mariner Challenge

CASTINE, Maine- The Endicott women's basketball team fell in the season opener, 68-65 to UMass Boston at the Pepsi Mariner Challenge hosted by Maine Maritime. 

The Gulls were led by Kelsey Cuddy (Madison, Conn.) who recorded a double-double in the setback, posting 14 points and 10 boards. Sophomore guard Hannah Kiernan (Wenham, Mass.) scored a team-high 15 points on 7-13 shooting (53.4%) as she also chipped in seven rebounds, three steals and two assists.

Sophomore point guard Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Mass.) led the defensive effort with a team-high five steals while picking up a team-high five assists as well while also scoring seven points. Junior Ilyza Holman (Ashland, Mass.) scored 13 points off the bench in her first collegiate game.

Endicott trailed by four after two quarters of play as the Gulls were out-scored by two in each quarter; 18-16 in the first and 16-14 in the second to trail 34-30 at the break. The Gulls would out-score the Beacons by one in the third, 15-14 before the two teams would tie in the fourth, 20-20, leaving Endicott on the short end of a 68-65 decision.

BEYOND THE BOX

• The Blue and Green out-shot the Beacons for the game, 39.3% to 38.8%, including a 38.5% to 26.3% advantage from beyond the arc.
• Cuddy tied with Kiernan for second on the team in steals with three while also posting a team-best three blocks. The three blocks were tied for the sixth best performance of her career, trailing only a five block performance against Gordon on January 29, 2014, the four blocks she has achieved four different times.
• In her first NCAA basketball game, Holman shot 4-7 (57.1%) from the floor including 3-6 (50%) on three point attempts. Holman is also a member of Endicott's softball team.
• Of Endicott's 36 rebounds, 24 were on the defensive glass while 12 came on the offensive end.

FOR THE FOES

• The Beacons were led by forward Olivia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) as the senior recorded a double-double by way of a game-high 19 points and an impressive 23 rebounds. Murphy also posted a game-high four blocks to lead UMass Boston to a win in the opener.
• The only other UMass Boston player in double-digits was Taje Burston (Springfield, Mass.) as the guard scored 12 points on 5-12 shooting from the floor including two three pointers.
• Raven Kelsey (Boston, Mass.) opened her season with nine points and four rebounds to go along with a game-high six steals.
• Of UMass Boston's 43 rebounds, 17 came on the offensive end, with 26 coming on the defensive boards.

WHAT'S NEXT

With the setback, Endicott drops to 0-1 on the season and will now take on UMaine Presque Isle tomorrow at noon. With the win, UMass Boston improves to 1-0 and advances to the Pepsi Mariner Challenge Championship game against Maine Maritime at 2:00 p.m. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.