Big Saturday at Home For Endicott Athletics
Men’s College Basketball
Nichols 76 Endicott 75
BEVERLY – The second-seeded Nichols College men’s basketball team held off a late rally from first-seeded Endicott to capture its fourth straight Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championship on Saturday evening at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Trailing 68-62 with 7:26 to play in the game, Endicott cut its deficit to one point on four separate occasions (68-67, 6:21 | 70-69, 3:45 | 73-72, 2:43 | 76-75, 00:38), but DeAnte Bruton (New London, Conn.) answered at the free throw line every time to secure the win for the Bison.
Bruton finished the contest with a game-high 38 points (12-27 FG, 2-9 3PT, 12-14 FT), 14 rebounds (all defensive), and two assists.
Meanwhile, for the Gulls, Keith Brown (Pelham N.H.) led the squad with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, a trio of blocks, and one steal.
Jalen Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) also compiled 21 points, while Billy Arseneault (Lynnfield, Mass.), and Matt McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) chipped in with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Nichols (20-8) has earned the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will find out its first round opponent on Monday, March 2 at 12:30 PM. Endicott sees its 2019-20 season come to a close at 19-7 overall.
Women’s College Basketball
Endicott 74 University of New England 57
BEVERLY – The third-seeded Endicott women’s basketball team defeated fourth-seeded University of New England (UNE), 74-57, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship on Saturday evening to capture its first-ever conference title in program history.
Senior guard Kaleigh Putnam (Wallingford, Conn.) highlighted the Gulls’ efforts via a game-high 21 points (6-14 FG, 2-2 3PT, 7-8 FT).
Meanwhile, classmates Emily Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) and Mikaela Rogers (Haverhill, Mass.) also produced big-time performances for Endicott in the win. Pratt filled the stat sheet with 17 points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists, while Rogers registered a double-double via 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Endicott also saw freshman Tara Laugeni (Woodbridge, Conn.) contribute 12 points and eight rebounds, while Shannon Gilbert (Easton, Conn.) had eight points, three rebounds, and a block
Endicott (18-10) has earned the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and will find out its first round opponent on Monday, March 2 at 2:30 PM. UNE potentially sees its 2019-20 season come to a close at 20-8 overall.
Men’s College Hockey
Endicott 3 Nichols 2
BEVERLY – Endicott men’s ice hockey freshman Zach Mazur (Lancaster, N.Y.) scored just two minutes and 15 seconds into overtime to lift the second-seeded Gulls past fifth-seeded Nichols, 3-2, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament semifinal round on Saturday night at Raymond J. Bourque Arena.
Mazur potted the game-winner cleaning up a Jason Kalinowski (Stamford, Conn.) rebound near the doorstep of the crease for his fourth career game-winner.
Endicott trailed 2-0 entering the third period, but found its stride when it mattered most.
Eric Manoukian (Manalapan, N.J.) got the Gulls rally started just over five minutes into the third period when he blasted home his second goal of the season.
Then, just three minutes later Noah Strawn (Wareham, Mass.) tied the game at two with his seventh goal of the season.
Meanwhile, Conor O’Brien (Pinellas Park, Fla.) made 30 saves to improve to 20-4-0 on the season. O’Brien becomes only the second goaltender in program history to earn 20 wins.
Second-seeded Endicott (20-5-0) will advance to the CCC championship game and will host Wentworth on Saturday, March 7 at 3 PM / (Photo Credit – David Le ’10)
Information supplied by Endicott College Sports Information Office
