Women's Basketball Ends Season with 67-64 Loss to Endicott in ECAC Semifinals
Beverly, Mass. – The Framingham State University women's basketball team suffered a 67-64 loss to Endicott College in one semifinal of the 2014 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Women's Basketball Tournament this afternoon.
The Gulls (21-7) received 18 points from junior Kayleen Whall (Foxboro, Mass.) as they advance to the finals tomorrow afternoon where they will face Smith College who defeated Brandeis in today's other semifinal. The Rams end their season 18-12.
Both halves were a tight contest on the scoreboard and the stat sheet as the Blue and Green just edged Framingham State by three points. Endicott shot well from the field hitting 40.4% to their counterparts 38.1% while shooting 16-20 from the free throw line, where the Rams fell short shooting just 61.5%.
Whall was the scoring leader for both sides in the first half as she tallied 13, while the Ram's, junior Johanna Annunziata (Auburn, Mass.) hit eight for her first half team-high.
To start off the opening frame, Framingham was shooting well holding a 13-6 lead at the 15:04 mark led by a pair of threes from junior Margo McCarthy (Southampton, Mass.).
Whall came in off the bench and drained three straight jumpers from long range plus a quick layup to give Endicott a 20-14 lead. A three-pointer from junior Katelyn Iafolla (Franklin, Mass.) got the Rams back within one, but senior Jennifer White hit a three pushing the Gull lead back to four.
After a three minute lull from both sides Framingham took back the lead, but in the final minutes junior Julie Manning (Hull, Mass.) gave the Blue and Green a 37-35 lead entering halftime.
To start off the second half Endicott opened up with five straight points to make it a 42-35 game led by senior Samantha Crough (Cohasset, Mass.) who tallied three points in two minutes. At the 16:41 mark the Rams were finding their rhythm as freshman Monta Connolly (Lynn, Mass.) pulled the Rams back within three.
Annunziata drained a long three-pointer followed by a second trey from senior Kristen Hoffman (Foxboro, Mass.) to give the Rams a 49-47 lead.
The Gulls used a 9-2 run to take the lead at 62-55. Hoffman drained another trey followed by a couple jumpers from McCarthy and freshman Alycia Rackliffe (Feeding Hills, Mass.) to make it a one point game with one minute left in regulation.
In the final seconds White and senior Sarah Robinson came up clutch free throws to secure the 67-64 victory.
Rackliffe finished her rookie campaign with a double double of 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Hoffman closed her outstanding career with 11 points. McCarthy and Connolly chipped in with 10 points apiece, while freshman Sarah Palace (Auburn, Mass.) chipped in with four steals.
Portions of release courtesy of Endicott Sports Information.