Margo Russell was the only UNE player in double figures with 17 points as the Nor'easters were eliminated from the conference tournament
Box Score
(portions of story courtesy of Endicott College Sports Information)
BEVERLY, Mass. -- Ceciley Chisholm recorded a double-double in the second half alone to finish with game-highs of 18 points and 15 rebounds, leading No. 2 Endicott College back from a one-point halftime deficit to a 78-67 victory over the third-seed University of New England in The Commonwealth Coast Conference women's basketball semifinals Thursday evening at the MacDonald Gymnasium.
The Gulls (23-4) won for the 14th consectutive time to advance to Saturday's TCCC Championship game when they will host No. 5 Salve Regina University (a 60-45 upset winner over top-seeded Nichols College).
The Nor'easters, now 20-7 on the season, await word on a possible Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Championship bid. The pairings will be released on Monday.
Endicott jumped out to an early 11-3 lead 4:30 into the contest, capitalizing on four UNE turnovers. The Nor'easters responded with a 15-6 run to grab their first lead of the game (18-17) with 9:12 left in the half. Sophomore Chelsey Meszaros (North Clarendon, Vt.) closed out the spurt with back-to-back treys.
The teams would trade baskets for the next few minutes before the Gulls built a five-point cushion (33-28) with 1:20 remaining in the period.
UNE responded with a 6-0 run capped by a three-pointer from senior Alli Gamache (Dudley, Mass.) with one second on the clock, giving the Nor'easters a 34-33 lead at the break.
The lead changed hands seven times in the frame. The Nor'easters were able to overcome poor shooting with 12 offensive rebounds, and an 11-3 edge in second-chance points.
The Gulls regained the lead on a Chisholm layup just 14 seconds into the final stanza and never looked back. After exchanging baskets, the hosts went on a 13-4 run to match their largest lead of the game to that point (50-40) at the 14:32 mark.
Endicott pushed its advantage to 14 points on three occasions during the second half, the final time coming with 2:31 left.
UNE whittled the margin down to six (73-67) with 56 seconds to play, but would get no closer.
The Nor'easters suffered from 28.1 percent (9-for-32) shooting in the second half and connected on only 1 of 11 attempts from long range. Meanwhile, the Gulls converted 50 percent (13-for-26) of their attempts and out-rebounded UNE, 28-18.
Chisholm was dominant on both ends of the floor in the half, scoring 12 points and collecting 13 boards.
Nicole Duchesne chipped in with 15 points for Endicott, while Ashley Wright added 12 to go along with four steals.
First-year Margo Russell (Madison, Maine) led the Nor'easters with 17 points and eight rebounds. Meszaros and Gamache tallied nine points apiece.
