BEVERLY, MASS. – The No. 3 seeded Roger Williams women's basketball team is set to travel to No. 2 Endicott to battle the Gulls in a semi-final playoff matchup Thursday evening.
The Hawks are coming into the matchup having defeated Suffolk University 64-59 in the first round of the CNE playoff tournament on Tuesday evening. Despite a slow start that saw the Hawks trail by as many as 16 points, the women were able to rally behind a strong second half in which they outscored the opponent 45-30, enroute to the first-round victory.
The Hawks will now head on the road to take on Endicott College, who awaits their arrival as the No. 2 seed, a recipient of a first-round bye. The two teams previously battled just one week ago in Beverly, a game in which the Hawks had their lowest offensive output of the season, leading to a 62-49 loss to the Gulls. In the two teams first matchup of the season in Bristol, R.I. the Hawks got the win handily, 74-61.
Roger Williams and Endicott have had their fair share of battles in the conference playoff tournament, as they have met on three different occasions in the five years. Most recently, the Hawks defeated the Gulls in the conference championship in the 2022-23 season, their second straight victory in the conference championship over the Gulls in as many seasons. The winner of Thursday night's battle will not only take the season series, but will move on to the Conference of New England Championship game, set to take place on Saturday afternoon.
Some key players to look out for in the matchup would be
Sophia Coppola (Madison, Conn.) and
Elizabeth Dufrane (Falls Church, Va.) for the Hawks, and the trio of Emma Shinney, Sarah Dempsey and Libby Fleming for the Gulls.
Sophia Coppola has been Roger William's go-to option on the offensive end all season, leading the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game. She has also added 5.9 rebounds per game to go along with an efficient 44% mark from long distance.
Elizabeth Dufrane has done it on both ends of the floor for the Hawks, averaging 12.4 points per game and 3.7 assists per game on offense, while adding a remarkable 90 blocks + steals on defense.
Emma Shinney has led the Gulls offensive attack this season, having averaged a team-high 13.8 points per game to go along with 4.9 assists, also good for a team-high. As for Sarah Dempsey, Endicott's new all-time leading scorer, she has averaged 12.5 points per game to go along with an efficient 50.4% mark from the field. Lastly, Libby Fleming, one of the league's premier defenders, has tallied 33 blocks and 30 steals.
The matchup between Roger Williams and Endicott will take place in MacDonald Gymnasium at 7:30 PM on Thursday evening. On the other side of the bracket, No. 4 University of New England will travel to No. 1 Western New England.
