BEVERLY – The Endicott men’s basketball team edged Roger Williams University, 64-61, on Thursday night in a tightly contested Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Leading 52-51 with 10:31 to play in the game, Endicott withstood several rallies from the Hawks down the stretch as the Gulls only led Roger Williams by more than two possessions on two separate occasions for the remainder of the contest (60-53, 7:08 | 62-55, 3:32).
A 1-for-2 showing at the free throw line for Hawks’ junior forward Josh Syska (Peabody, Mass.) put the score at 62-58 with 1:53 remaining, but Endicott junior guard Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) secured a loose ball, offensive rebound near his own bench before being fouled to earn a trip to the free throw line with 26-seconds to play.
Basden canned one of his two attempts to bump the advantage back to five points at 63-58; however, Roger Williams didn’t go away quietly as Syska buried a three-pointer from the left corner to make it a one possession game once more at 63-61.
Endicott junior guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) then went on to convert one of his two free throw attempts with 11-seconds remaining, which helped secure the victory as Hawks’ senior forward Josh McCourt (Lincoln, R.I.) was forced to take an NBA-range three-pointer from the left wing that missed its targeted and ricocheted off the back of the rim eventually falling into the hands of Gulls’ junior forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) as the final buzzer sounded.
Junior guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) led all scorers with 20 points (6-12 FG, 2-5 3PT, 6-6 FT) alongside two assists and two steals in 28 minutes of action.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Sampson registered 11 points, eight rebounds, a career-high six assists, two blocks, and one steal.
- Motroni added 18 points, four rebounds, a career-high four steals, and two assists to the win.
- Basden finished with four points, a season-high eight rebounds, and two steals.
- Endicott assisted on 13 out of 18 made baskets, pushing its streak of ten or more assists as a team in a game to 12 this season.
- The Gulls leads the all-time series 24-7, and also a 16-4 advantage at home versus the Hawks dating back to 2002.
- Tonight’s win marks the third time Endicott has won a game this season after trailing at halftime.
FOR THE FOES
- Nick Marini (Loudonville, N.Y.) paced the guests with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, and 4-of-6 shooting at the free throw line.
- Andrew Wasik (Gainesville, Fla.) chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
- Trevor Fahmy (Bedford, N.H.) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, while Syska, McCourt, Austin Coene (Tyngsborough, Mass.), Jaylen Jennings (Norwalk, Conn.), and Conor O’Brien (Sharon, Mass.) all contributed at least six points to the offense.
- Coene led the group with seven points on 3-of-9 shooting from the floor (1-for-2 3PT).
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott (7-5, 4-1 CCC) travels to Western New England University on Saturday, January 9 for a CCC matchup against the Golden Bears at 3 p.m. Roger Williams (4-8, 2-3 CCC) hosts Wentworth this Saturday in a conference tilt at 3 p.m.
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BEVERLY – The Endicott women’s basketball team suffered a 61-51 setback at the hands of the visiting Roger Williams Hawks in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Thursday night inside MacDonald Gymnasium.
With the loss, the Gulls are now 6-5 overall and 4-1 in the CCC, while Roger Williams improved to 6-5 on the season and 3-2 in conference play.
The Hawks got out to a fast start, going up 19-6 at the end of the first quarter and led by as much as 14 with 08:28 on the clock in the second quarter before Endicott battled back behind an eight-point first half from senior guard Kelsey Cuddy (Madison, Conn.) to bring the score to 30-18 at the half.
Senior guard Rachel Battista (Johnston, R.I.) led the floor with 10 points in the first half and the Hawks out-rebounded the Gulls 23-12 in the first twenty minutes.
The Gulls played a tighter second half, but couldn’t quite close the gap. A Cuddy layup with one minute remaining in the third quarter cut the deficit to 40-31 as the Gulls headed into the final 10 minutes of action down 46-33. The Hawks led by as much as 18, up 54-36 with 04:27 left in the game for their largest lead of the contest.
Cuddy had a game-high 17 points with four rebounds, four steals, three blocks and one assist to pace the Gulls as Endicott was handed its first conference loss of the season.
BEYOND THE BOX
- The Gulls hit just 1-of-12 from three-point land for the second time this season (1-of-12 in 62-49 loss to MIT on Dec. 10, 2015.)
- Six points in the first quarter for the Gulls was the team’s lowest this season. (Seven points in first quarter in 71-59 loss to Brandeis on Jan. 2, 2016.)
- Cuddy has recorded double-digit points in every game this season to stretch her double-digit scoring streak to 11 games.
- Cuddy is eight points away from scoring her 1,000th career point as she sits at 992 through 82 career games played.
- Senior guard Caity Lowry (Quincy, Mass.) tied her season-high with seven rebounds as the Gulls lost the battle off the glass, 48-28, in favor of Roger Williams.
- Sophomore forward Sam Charette (Wenham, Mass.) chipped in a season-high 10 points to go with a career-high four blocks.
- Endicott had seven steals in the first half, with three from sophomore guard Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Mass.).
- Endicott forced 28 turnovers, while giving the ball away 16 times of their own.
FOR THE FOES
- Battista finished with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
- Senior guard Angelica Ariola (Prospect, Conn.) also had 14 points, as she made 6-of-7 free throws to lead the team in that category.
- Junior forward/center Bridget Quilty (Duxbury, Mass.) pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and added seven points, three blocks and two assists.
NOTES
- Endicott is 16-13 all-time and 10-5 at home against Roger Williams dating back prior to the 2001 season.
- The Gulls won the most recent meeting before tonight, 73-59, on the road in the CCC Quarterfinals on Feb. 24, 2015.
WHAT’S NEXT
Both teams are back in action on Saturday, January 9 at 1:00 p.m. as the Gulls (6-5, 4-1 CCC) will travel to Western New England University, while Roger Williams (6-5, 3-2 CCC) hosts Wentworth.
Information supplied by Endicott College Sports Information Office
