CCC QUARTERFINALS: #4 Endicott Falls To #5 Eastern Nazarene, 70-61

INTERACTIVE CCC TOURNAMENT BRACKET

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE GAME

BEVERLY, Mass. — The fourth-seeded Endicott women's basketball team fell to fifth-seeded Eastern Nazarene, 70-61, Tuesday night inside MacDonald Gymnasium in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Quarterfinal action.

Facing each other for the third time this season, it was junior guard Jaysa Cooper's (Frisco, Texas) charm with a game-high 20 points off the bench to lead four Lions in double figures.

It was back-and-forth basketball in the early stages of the game until the Gulls were able to create some slight separation with a five-point margin with 7:58 remaining before the half and clung a 28-27 lead at the break.

A sizzling third quarter turned the tides as Eastern Nazarene clawed its way back to grab a 35-33 edge at the 4:56 mark never to be relinquished the rest of the way. Cooper tallied 12 points in the stanza on a perfect 5-for-5 effort from the floor and 2-for-2 at the free throw line to lead the offensive assault.

Fans were treated to a fourth-quarter shootout as the teams combined for 44 points in the fourth quarter alone with the Lions pulling off their first playoff victory in recent history.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• This quarterfinal matchup featured six tied scores and 10 lead changes.
• Junior guard Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Mass.) scored a team-best 16 points alongside her six boards, game-high five assists, game-high four steals, and career-high three blocks.
• All-CCC First Team junior forward Hannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine) pulled down a team-high eight rebounds to go with 14 points, four assists, and one steal.
• All-CCC Third Team junior guard Hannah Kiernan (Wenham, Mass.) also chipped in 14 points, two rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
• Playing in her final collegiate game, senior forward Sarah Hood (Burlington, Mass.) chipped in eight points, four rebounds, one steal, and one block.
• Coming into the game, the Gulls made their 15th straight playoff appearance as winners of four of the past five games and failed to advance to the CCC Semifinals for the first time since the 2010-11 season (the season before Coach Hutchinson arrived on campus).
• Endicott head coach Brittany Hutchinson is one win shy of her 100th career victory.

FOR THE FOES

• In their third straight playoff appearance and fifth in the past six years, the Lions earned their first victory behind double-digit scoring efforts from senior guard Breanna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.), junior guard Ashley Rendon (La Puente, Calif.), and junior guard/forward Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.) to join Cooper in the double-digit scoring column.
• Junior guard Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.) grabbed a game-best 12 rebounds as the Lions outrebounded Endicott, 41-32.
• The Lions outscored the Gulls in every quarter except the second.
• ENC led by as much as 14 with 7:52 remaining in the game.

NOTES

• Endicott is 21-6 all-time and 13-1 at home against Eastern Nazarene dating back prior to the 2002 season.
• The Gulls have still won nine of the last 11 matchups against the Lions, including five in a row before the loss tonight.
• The Gulls swept Lions in the regular-season series, 71-38 on Dec. 3, 2016 and 78-73 (OT) on Jan. 21, 2017.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 4 Endicott (13-13) sees its season come to an end, while  No. 5 Eastern Nazarene (18-8) advances to the conference semifinals on Thursday, February 23rd and will face the winner of #1 University of New England and #8 Gordon.

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2017 CCC Women's Basketball Tournament Schedule

(Games hosted by the higher seed)

Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 21

#8 Gordon at #1 University of New England, 7 p.m.

#2 Roger Williams 51 (2 OT), #7 Salve Regina 47

#6 Curry at #3 Western New England, 7 p.m.

#5 Eastern Nazarene 70,  #4 Endicott 61

Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 23

#1/8 winner vs. #5 Eastern Nazarene TBA

#2 Roger Williams vs. #3/6 winner, TBA

Finals – Saturday, Feb. 25

Semifinal winners at higher seed, TBA