REGIS COLLEGE ADVANCES TO FINALS

By Chris Barroso

BEVERLY, Mass. - Regis College upset Endicott College, 73-66, on Thursday night as a part of The Commonwealth Coast Conference Semifinals held in Beverly, Mass. The No. 3 seeded Pride (19-8) advance to their first-ever TCCC Finals where they will face the University of New England on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. The Gulls wrap up their season at 19-7 overall.

Regis never trailed in the game, however the Gulls tied the score twice in the first half. A three pointer by Kaylin Burke (Leominster, Mass.) tied the score eight, but the Pride responded with a three of their own from Stefanie Wozmack (Auburn, N.H.). Ashley Wright (Merrimack, N.H.) buried a three from beyond the arc to tie the game at 11-all but Regis went on a 12-2 run to build a 10 point lead with 9:32 to play in the half. The Pride extended their lead to 15 with just over two minutes to play on another three-ball from Wozmack and entered the break with a 13-point lead, 39-26.

Ashley Wright led the Gulls in scoring at the half with 13 points while Ceciley Chisholm (Lexington, Mass.) scored five points and added six rebounds. Jessica Page (Quincy, Mass.) scored a team-high 13 points in the period while Sarah McNult (Hampstead, N.H.) added six points and 10 rebounds. Regis shot an effective 44.4% (16-of-36) from the field while the Gulls shot only 32% (8-of-25) and committed nine turnovers.

Endicott struck quickly out of the break, using a 16-5 run to make it a two point ball game, 44-42. Chisholm went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line while Burke added five points of her own in the run. Regis' Stephanie Crawford (Rockland, Mass.) ended the stretch with a layup, but a jumper by Jen McBrien (Medfield, Mass.) kept it a two point game with 12:09 left in regulation.

A three-pointer by Meagan Tobin (Quincy, Mass.) and another layup from Crawford helped Regis build their lead back to five, and the Gulls would not get any closer. Regis led by as many as 10 the rest of the way and made their free throws down the stretch, holding off any attempts of a comeback from the Gulls.

Regis won the battle on the boards, 45-34 while also grabbing 16 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second chance points. The Pride also held the advantage in points in the paint, 30-16, however the Gulls turned 15 Regis turnovers into 14 points.

Endicott was led by a game-high 21 points from Ashley Wright before the junior guard fouled out. Ceciley Chisholm posted her second straight double-double of the playoffs with 18 points and 14 rebounds while Kaylin Burke added 15 points and four assists for the home team.

The Pride's Jessica Page scored 17 points and with 3:20 left in the game, knocked down a pair of free throws and with those points, became the program's all-time leading scorer. Meagan Tobin added 14 points while Stephanie Crawford netted a team-high 19 points. Sarah McNult was a monster on the boards, grabbing 16 rebounds while chipping in with nine points.

Regis advances to it's first-ever TCCC Championship game where they will take on the University of New England at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The Gulls wrap up their season at 19-7 overall.