Beverly, Mass. – Senior guard Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) poured in a career-high 31 points and classmate Brittany Kelleher (Wakefield, Mass.) added a double-double to lift Endicott to a 68-55 win over Emerson in non-conference women's basketball action at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Kelleher scored all 12 of her points in a decisive second half to help the Gulls push a one-point halftime lead into a 13-point win. The senior forward added a game-high ten rebounds for Endicott (4-1).
Emerson's Olivia DiNucci (Pittsburgh, Pa.) finished seven-of-12 from behind the arc en route to a team-high 25 points. Kathy Andrade (Hull, Mass.) chipped in 12 points for the Lions (1-5).
Both Endicott (26.5%) and Emerson (30.4%) struggled from the floor in the first half.
Emerson opened a seven point lead (14-7) with just under seven minutes to play. DiNucci extended the lead the lead to eight with a three-pointer at 3:58 but Endicott closed the half on a 9-0 run to take a slim lead into the locker room.
Wright and Kelleher quickly put the Gulls on top by five in the opening minutes of the second half. DiNucci knocked down another triple, one of five in the second stanza for the sophomore forward, to pull the Lions within two. Emerson would not get any closer as Endicott responded with a 10-0 run over the next 4:20 to take control.
The Lions shot 61.5% from distance in the second half to stay within reach. Sophomore point guard Amy Sherman (Toronto, Ontario) was a perfect three-for-three from behind the arc during the period.
After going four-for-14 in the first-half, Wright erupted for 21 second-half points on eight-of-13 shooting, moving her season average to a team-best 21.0 points per game in the process.
Kelleher's solid play down the stretch helped the Blue and Green enjoy a 16-2 advantage in second chance points. Endicott also doubled Emerson in points in the paint (32-16).
Senior forward Ashley Vitale (Wilmington, Mass.) tied a career-high with five assists for Endicott.
The Gulls travel to Boston to take on Suffolk (2-3) on Thursday at 7:00 pm. Emerson travels to Amherst (No. 1 ESPN/USA Today, No. 1 d3hoops.com) on Saturday for an 8:00pm showdown with the Lord Jeffs.