SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott men’s basketball team closed out the regular season tied atop the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) standings, but due to the tiebreaker protocol, earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference postseason tournament, as announced Saturday by the conference office.
CCC QUARTERFINALS: NO. 2 ENDICOTT vs. NO. 7 SALVE REGINA
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 8:00 PM | MACDONALD GYMNASIUM | BEVERLY, MASS.
THE MATCHUP: The Gulls (20-5 overall, 15-3 CCC), will host seventh-seeded Salve Regina on Tuesday, February 21st at 8:00 p.m., after the Seahawks finished 6-12 in CCC play and 8-16 overall. The Gulls swept the Seahawks in the regular-season series, 82-66 on Jan. 11, 2017 and 79-44 in the most recent meeting just this past week on February 14th.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: The Gulls have now qualified for the conference tournament each in the past four
consecutive years, and 20 of the 23 years since Endicott became NCAA Division III varsity program in 1994-95. Endicott will be in search of its ninth title (7x CCC, one GNAC) and third-straight under third-year head coach Kevin Bettencourt.
NO. 2 ENDICOTT (20-5, 15-3 CCC)
The Gulls finished the regular season on a three-game win streak and posted a 20-win season for the fifth time in program history. Endicott is led in scoring by senior guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.), whose 452 points this season helped him become the program’s all-time leading scorer back on Jan. 31, 2017.
NO. 7 SALVE REGINA (8-16, 6-12 CCC)
The Seahawks come into the playoffs having lost the last four games of the regular season. Senior forward Nicholas Bates (Danvers, Mass.) paces the team with 15 double-doubles on the year, while junior guard Rodney Morton (Malden, Mass.) leads the team in scoring (463 points), averaging 19.3 points per game, good for fourth-best in the conference.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: The winner will advance to the conference semifinals on Thursday, February 23rd. Looking ahead, the championship will be played on Saturday, February 25th at a site and time to be determined. The CCC Tournament champion will receive the conference’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA DIII Men’s Basketball Championship.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Endicott women’s basketball team earned the fourth seed heading into the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) playoffs as announced on Saturday by the conference office.
CCC QUARTERFINALS: NO. 4 ENDICOTT vs. NO. 5 EASTERN NAZARENE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 6:00 PM | MACDONALD GYMNASIUM | BEVERLY, MASS.
THE MATCHUP: The Gulls, who are 13-12 overall, will host fifth-seeded Eastern Nazarene on Tuesday, February 21st at 6:00 p.m., after the Lions finished 10-8 in CCC play and 17-8 overall. The Gulls swept Lions in the regular-season series, 71-38 on Dec. 3, 2016 and 78-73 (OT) on Jan. 21, 2017.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: Endicott is making its 15th-straight Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC)
postseason appearance and 21st of the 24 years as a varsity program since its inception in the 1993-94
season. The Gulls have advanced to the CCC Semifinals in each of the past five seasons, highlighted by an appearance in the CCC Championship in 2011-12 and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) title in 2013-14 under the direction of head coach Brittany Hutchinson, now in her sixth season at the helm of the program.
Through 169 career games coached, Hutchinson is nearing her 100th career victory as she currently sits at 99-70 overall and 69-39 in conference play. She is the longest tenured coach the women’s basketball team has ever had.
NO. 4 ENDICOTT (13-12, 12-6 CCC)
The Gulls finished the regular season winners of four of their past five games. Endicott is led in scoring by junior guard Hannah Kiernan, whose 269 points are tenth-most in the conference this year. Junior forward Hannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine), senior forward Sarah Hood (Burlington, Mass.), junior guard Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Mass.), and freshman guard Emily Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) have all contributed in big ways this season for Endicott. Hood is currently second in the conference in rebounds per game (8.6) and total rebounds (215).
NO. 5 EASTERN NAZARENE (17-8, 10-8 CCC) |
The Lions are making their third straight playoff appearance. Leading the pack is junior guard/forward Shelby Holmes (Seeley Lake, Mont.), junior guard Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas), and junior guard Kayla Torio (Manteca, Calif.)as Eastern Nazarene looks to win its first postseason game in recent memory.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: The winner will advance to the conference semifinals on Thursday, February 23rd. Looking ahead, the championship will be played on Saturday, February 25th at a site and time to be determined. The CCC Tournament champion will receive the conference’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA DIII Women’s Basketball Championship. $website.include(“rich-footer”)
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.
#7 Salve Regina New England at #2 Roger Williams, 5:30 p.m.
#6 Curry at #3 Western New England, 7 p.m.
#5 Eastern Nazarene at #4 Endicott, 6 p.m.
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 23
#1/8 winner vs. #4/5 winner, TBA
#2/7 winner vs. #3/6 winner, TBA
Finals – Saturday, Feb. 25
Semifinal winners at higher seed, TBA
