BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Basketball team suffered its first Commonwealth Coast Conference loss of the season, dropping a close 77-78 overtime matchup to Endicott College Thursday evening.

Both teams are now part of a three-way tie for second place in the CCC with identical 4-1 records. Endicott improves to 8-3 overall while RWU falls to 9-3.

Kaitlyn Bovee (Berlin, Conn.) helped get the Hawks to an early 5-0 lead with a layup and a three-pointer before the Gulls came back with six straight points, four of which from Samantha Crough (Cohasset, Mass.). Angelica Ariola (Prospect, Conn.) answered with a fastbreak layup that regained the advantage for RWU.

From there, the Hawks would hold on to the lead for the remainder of the half, going up by as much as 11 (24-13). Endicott managed to come within one (27-28) but ultimately entered halftime down by seven (29-36).

In the second half, the Gulls continued to climb their way back in the game but were never able to retake the lead. Kayleen Whall (Lawrence, Mass.) dropped in a bucket to make it a 52-54 game with 10:24 to play but EC continued to trail. It would not be until the 4:38 mark for the Gulls to complete the comeback, with Crough knocking down a jumper to knot the contest at 65. She would then later tie the game at 67 with a pair of free throws. Katie Lowerre (Sharon, Mass.) put the Hawks back up by two (69-67) with 1:46 left, snagging an offensive board and putting in a short jumper.

With 18 seconds left and the Hawks up by two, RWU had a chance to put away the game but missed the front end of a one-and-one, which led to a game-tying layup by Whall with four seconds left to second the game to OT.

In the extra period, Endicott maintained the momentum and built a seven-point lead (78-71) halfway into overtime. Roger Williams was able to hold EC scoreless over the final 2:25 and was able to pull within one with 44 seconds left. After forcing a turnover, the Hawks made one last push to earn the victory. On the final possession, Bovee drove down the baseline and put up a layup attempt with a lot of contact. The refs let the play go as her shot went wide, allowing the Gulls to secure the win.

Crough led all scorers with 29 points along with seven rebounds. Kelsey Cuddy (Madison Conn.) went for 11 points, six boards, and four steals. Jennifer White (Lisbon, N.H.) added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Whall had 13 points and eight boards off the bench.

Ariola set a new career high with 24 points in addition to her five assists and five rebounds. Bovee finished just shy of a double-double, going for 19 points and nine assists. Rachel Battista (Johnston, R.I.) added six points and two steals.

On Saturday, Roger Williams heads to Boston to face Wentworth Institute of Technology, while Endicott goes to Curry.