BEVERLY – The first-seeded Endicott men’s basketball team led wire-to-wire against second-seeded Western New England, 87-66, to capture the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship on Sunday afternoon in front of a sellout MacDonald Gymnasium crowd.
The No. 13 nationally ranked Gulls went on a 16-0 run to start the matchup and never looked back.
The emphatic start marked the longest scoring streak to begin a CNE Men’s Basketball Championship in the modern era of the league (2004-present; previous record 9-0, 2022 championship).
Junior forward Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) was named the CNE Tournament Most Outstanding Player, following two All-American caliber playoff performances this week.
Kinney took over MacDonald Gymnasium during the 16-0 run, scoring 10 points in that stretch – highlighted by a put-back slam at the 18:45 mark (4-0) that sent the packed house into a frenzy, creating an undeniable homecourt advantage from the jump.
Just before the conclusion of the first half, he threw down another slam, this time off Jeff Hill‘s (Lynn) fast break alley-oop feed (2:26 remaining, 43-18), which kept the fanatical crowd roaring.
Kinney finished the championship tilt with 23 points (8-14 FG), 12 rebounds, four blocks, two assists, and one steal. His points and rebound totals were game-highs.
In both playoff games combined, the big man notched 45 points (15-29, 51.7%), 29 rebounds, seven blocks, seven steals, and three assists in 65:28 minutes played.
The double-doubles in both games pushed his team-leading total to 18 this season, which ranks second in the nation.
With the victory, Endicott is the first men’s basketball program in CNE history to go undefeated in league play and capture the conference championship in the same campaign (16-0 regular season, 2-0 playoffs).
The University of New England (UNE) women’s basketball program accomplished the feat first, achieving the historical milestone twice.
The Nor’easters first ran the table in 2012-13 and then again in 2015-16, winning 21 games against league opponents in both campaigns to hoist the conference championship trophy.
FIRST HALF
Endicott led by as many as 25 points in the opening stanza (43-18, 2:26), powered by Kinney’s double-double of 18 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3PT, 4-4 FT) and 10 rebounds (eight defensive).
Kinney started the matchup 4-for-4 from the field, including a 2-for-2 showing from beyond the arc.
Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester) also added 14 points (5-7 FG, 1-1 3PT, 3-3 FT) to the dreamworthy start for the Gulls.
Caden Sullivan (Franklin, Mass) and Hill capped the individual highlights in the opening half with five and six points, respectively.
Endicott shot 58.6% from the field (17-29), 60.0% from long distance (6-10), and went perfect in eight trips at the free throw line.
SECOND HALF
The Gulls pushed their advantage to a game-high 32 points (71-39) with 9:20 remaining in the contest, all but sealing the ninth conference championship in program history (1998-99, 1999-00, 2003-06, 2011-12, 2014-16).
With 3:52 left to play, Endicott pulled its last starter (Sullivan), finally giving way to a unit that shot 56.8% from the field (25-44), 64.7% beyond the arc (11-17), and 75.0% at the charity stripe (15-20).
Kinney, Montagnino, Sullivan, Hill, and Matt Boen (Mansfield) accounted for 76 points, making up 87.4% of the team’s scoring on the afternoon in a combined 143:41 minutes (averaged a +28 plus/minus).
Montagnino finished with 22 points (7-9 FG, 1-1 3PT, 7-9 FT), five rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Sullivan tallied 15 points and six rebounds, while Boen and Hill tallied nine and seven points apiece.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is 21-15 in the all-time series.
- Western New England did not score back-to-back baskets in the contest until the 14:20 mark of the second half.
- The Gulls extended their program-record winning streak to 20 straight games.
- Along with running the table in the CNE, Endicott boosted its perfect record at MacDonald Gymnasium to 14-0 this season.
- The program record for home wins is 15 (2003-04, 15-3 overall, hosted first-ever NCAA Tournament game on 3/4/04).
- Today’s margin of victory (21 points) marks the fourth-highest total in the CNE Men’s Basketball Championship modern era (2004-present).
WHAT’S NEXT
No. 13 Endicott (26-1) has earned the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Gulls will learn their postseason fate tomorrow via the NCAA Selection Show at 1 PM (EST) on NCAA.com.
Western New England’s campaign comes to a close at 21-6 overall.
