Game reports on Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Hockey, and Men’s Volleyball
WENHAM, Mass. — In a game in which the Endicott men’s basketball team led cover to cover, the Gulls 
were dialed in for a commanding win over Gordon College, 82-65, Saturday afternoon inside the Bennett Center in Commonwealth Coast Conference action as senior guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) poured in a season-high 29 points.
Before the game, Gordon honored one of the nation’s leading rebounders in senior forward Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) in a Senior Day ceremony to celebrate his four-year career with the Fighting Scots.
Just as the Fighting Scots looked to rebound their way back into the game behind Johnson’s double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds), the effort fell short again this time around.
Walker set a new career-high with 12 made field goals, which is just one shy of the Endicott’s single-game program record, to go with four rebounds, one assist, and a game-high three steals.
The Gulls clung to a 38-33 lead at halftime and grew that edge to 17 points with 1:23 left in the game to ensure that there would be no game-winning buzzer beater attempt from the hosts like the last time these two teams met back on 01/05/17.
With the win, Endicott moved atop the CCC standings at 17-4 overall and 12-2 in conference play with four games remaining in the regular season.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls are 23-17 overall and 12-8 on the road in the all-time series against Gordon.
- Endicott has won the past six meetings, including an 84-83 nailbiter in the most recent matchup before today on 01/05/17 in Beverly, Mass. when the Gordon’s potential game-winning shot got stuck between the rim and backboard as time expired.
- Walker is currently ninth among all active players in all of NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball in career points scored with 1,715 to his name.
- Walker now has nine games this season scoring 20+ points.
- Senior forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) notched his third double-double of the season and the 23rd of his career with his 13 points and 10 rebounds that tied for a game-high with Gordon’s Johnson.
- Senior guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) joined Walker and Sampson in double digit as he chipped in 13 points.
FOR THE FOES
- The Fighting Scots placed four student-athletes in double figures as sophomore forward Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.) and junior guard Jaren Young (San Francisco, Calif.) both tallied 14 points apiece.
- Sophomore guard Jake Haar (Huntington Beach, Calif.), who leads the country in three-point field goal percentage by knocking down 55.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, added 12 points, including 2-of-6 from downtown.
- Johnson, who leads the country in a tie for the most rebounds in a single game earlier this season with 27 rebounds, pulled down a team-best 10 (tied for game-high) today for his 14th double-double of the season (30th career) to increase his national-leading 6.55 offensive rebounds per game average and is second in the country with 15.4 overall rebounds per game.
- Johnson has also grabbed the second-most rebounds in all of Division III this season with 318 to his name.
- Gordon came into the game boasting a 13.5 rebound margin per game, good for best in all of NCAA Division III men’s basketball, as well as ranked first in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (16.90) (also the 3rd-best effort in the country), and was the conference leader with 17.0 assists per game.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Gulls (17-4, 12-2 CCC) hits the road again to face Nichols on Wednesday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Gordon (12-9, 9-5 CCC) travels to Bristol, R.I. to take on the Roger Williams Hawks on Wednesday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m.
WENHAM, Mass. — The Endicott women’s basketball team powered past Gordon College, 70-55, Saturday afternoon inside the Bennett Center in Commonwealth Coast Conference action.
The Gulls’ offense reached high-octane levels for their fourth conference victory of the season in which Endicott scored at least 70 points.
In a game where they never trailed, the Gulls got out to a fast start, thanks in part to an 18-2 run over the first seven and a half minutes to begin the contest.
At the half, Endicott took a 35-24 lead into the locker room and came out firing for a quarter-best 21 points in the third stanza to all but put the game out of reach.
The Gulls led by as much as 20 with 7:22 left in the fourth quarter to cruise to their 20th straight victory over Gordon in the all-time series.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is now 24-10 overall in the all-time series versus Gordon, which includes a 11-6 mark in away contests.
- During the span of 20 consecutive victories in this series, only two games have been decided by five points or fewer.
- The Gulls completed their third regular-season sweep of a conference opponent this season.
- Freshman guard Emily Pratt (Gardner, Mass.) led the way with a game-high 20 points to match her career-high, followed by 16 from senior forward Sarah Hood (Burlington, Mass.) for her second-most points this season and eight rebounds to go with two assists, one steal, and a game-high three blocks.
- Junior guard Hannah Kiernan (Wenham, Mass.) joined Pratt and Hood in double figures with 13 points to round out the Gulls scoring 10+ points.
- In her first game back after missing eight games, junior forward Hannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine) grabbed a career-best/game-high 13 rebounds in her return to the hardwood for the first time since the last time Endicott played Gordon earlier this season on Jan. 5, 2017.
- Freshman guard Kaleigh Putnam (Wallingford, Conn.) dished out a career-high six assists, while junior guard Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Mass.) matched Putnam to tie for a game-high six helpers.
- Despite equaling their season-high with 23 turnovers, the Gulls made up for it by scoring more points off takeaways than Gordon (14-13).
FOR THE FOES
- Freshman guard Meghan Foley (Malden, Mass.) paced the Fighting Scots with a team-high 15 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go with one assist and two steals.
- Sophomore guard Olivia Stark (Arvada, Colo.) added 12 points, while sophomore forward Sarah Gibbs (Elizabethtown, Pa.) chipped in six boards.
- Gordon out-scored Endicott, 17-14, in the fourth quarter.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Gulls (10-11, 9-5 CCC) hits the road again to face Nichols on Wednesday, February 8 at 5:30 p.m.
Gordon (7-14, 5-9 CCC) travels to Bristol, R.I. to take on the Roger Williams Hawks on Wednesday, February 8 at 5:30 p.m
BEVERLY, Mass. – Tommy Besinger (Milton, Mass.) scored two goals – including the game-winner (1:20, third period) – to lead the No. 11/12 nationally ranked Endicott men’s ice hockey team past Wentworth, 3-1, in a league matchup on Saturday evening at Raymond J. Bourque Arena.
Tied at 1-1 early in the third, Cam Bleck (Lake Forest, Ill.) won a battle at the boards behind the net and fed Besinger around the dasher near the right post where the sophomore forward snuck in a shot past Wentworth goaltender Ryan Hubbard (West Bridgewater, Mass.) to break the stalemate.
Both teams played a fast-paced, hard-hitting brand of hockey until the final seconds of the third, before Besinger iced the game with an empty netter from Endicott’s own defensive end at the 19:38 mark.
Gulls’ netminder Kevin Aldridge (Birmingham, Mich.) stopped 28 shots in the win (14-3-2). Meanwhile, Hubbard had a season-high 47 saves in the loss (1-11-2). It marks the first time all season Hubbard has recorded 40 or more saves in a contest.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is 4-1-0 in the all-time series versus Wentworth.
- The Gulls have also won the last three meetings against the Leopards.
- Jack Kilty (Medway, Mass.) put Endicott on the scoreboard first with a shot near the right post at the 18:28 mark of the first period. Josh Bowes (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) and Connor Costello (Nottingham, N.H.) were credited with assists on the tally.
- Costello won a loose puck near Wentworth’s bench and immediately fired it back into the Leopards’ D-Zone where Bowes corralled at the other side wall and fed a wide open Kilty for the finish.
- Besinger also won a game-high 18 faceoffs.
- John Carricato (Ridge, N.Y.) had 10 faceoff victories for the Gulls.
FOR THE FOES
- Matthew Kennedy (Mount Pearl, N.L.) buried his fourth goal of the season at 14:14 of the second on a spinning shot from the right faceoff circle that whistled into the top left corner of the net over Aldridge’s blocker.
- CJ Grinnell (Burlington, Mass.) and Jake Flynn (Lino Lakes, Minn.) picked up assists on the goal by cycling the puck out to Kennedy after winning back-to-back 50/50 battles for the puck.
- Paul Filippone (Cranston, R.I.) blocked a game-high three shots.
WHAT’S NEXT
No. 11/12 Endicott (16-3-2, 10-3-1 CCC) hosts Suffolk University on Thursday, February 9 at 7 PM. Wentworth (4-14-3, 2-10-2 CCC) takes on Western New England at home on Thursday, also at 7 PM
MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – Trailing 2-0 about halfway through the second period, the Endicott women’s ice hockey team stormed back with three unanswered goals over the remainder of the contest to claim a 3-2 comeback victory over league foe Morrisville State on Saturday evening at the IcePlex.
Ellen Carter (Roseville, Minn.) got the rally started for the Gulls with an unassisted tally at the 9:35 mark of the second period. Caroline Hughes (Andover, Mass.) then made it 2-2 at 4:18 of the third with her sixth of the year, before Maggie Layo (Sandwich, Mass.) put Endicott ahead for good with her team-leading 11th goal of the season at 15:37.
Layo’s third game-winner of the 2016-17 slate, which came on a feed from Lexi Klein (Shoreview, Minn.), tied her for the team-lead with freshman Jillian Gibbs (Burlington, Vt.).
Gulls’ netminder Vendela Jonsson (Linkoping, Sweden) also played a crucial part in the comeback, as the sophomore turned away 12 straight shots after Morrisville took a 2-0 advantage at the 5:41 mark of the second. In total, Jonsson compiled 23 saves in the win (12-2-1). Mustangs’ goaltender Renee Schmaltz (Beaumont, Alberta) had 36 saves in the loss (17-3-1).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is 3-1-1 in the all-time series against Morrisville State.
- Dynnea Bezona (Fairbanks, Alaska) tied for the game-high in faceoff wins with nine.
- The Gulls have come from behind to win in five games this season.
FOR THE FOES
- Much like Friday’s game, Jessica Ujcik (Munich, Germany) scored to open up the match – this time at 15:15 of the first – while Maddison Devlin (Campbell River, British Columbia) followed with her ninth goal of the season at the 5:41 mark of the second.
- Stephanie Strymecki (Kelowna, British Columbia) picked up an assist (18th of season), and tied for the game-high in faceoff wins (9).
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott (18-3-1, 9-1-0 CHC) hosts Salve Regina University on Tuesday, February 7 at 7 PM. Morrisville State (17-3-1, 7-1-0 CHC) travels to Stevenson for a weekend series on Friday, February 10 and Saturday, February 11 at 4 PM and 3:30 PM, respectively
BOSTON, Mass. – The Endicott men’s volleyball team dropped a pair of matches against No. 3 Stevens and No. 5 Wentworth on Saturday evening at the Nelson Recreation Center. The Gulls fell to Stevens, 3-2, in a tightly-contested match by scores of 25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 25-16 and 25-10 to start the day, and 3-1 to Wentworth in the nightcap (18-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-17).
MATCH ONE: No. 3 Stevens 3, Endicott 2 (25-16, 23-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-10)
Trailing 1-0 in the match, Endicott worked its way through 22 tied scores and nine lead changes over the next two sets to take a 2-1 advantage in the match. Stevens bounced back down the stretch, however, behind a combined .643 hitting percentage to keep its undefeated season intact at 8-0 overall.
Freshmen led the way for the Gulls against Stevens as Bryn Lipton (Rockford, Ill.) registered 15 kills and Donovan Dey (Fairport, N.Y.) sent home 11 on 24 swings (.250). Daniel Toth (Glenwood, N.J.) aided the offense with nine putaways, while Chad Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) and Tim Fieseler (Bridgewater, N.J.) added seven kills apiece.
Adam Dake (Victor, N.Y.) and Riorden split duties running the offense, as Dake finished with 26 and Riorden collected 24. Defensively, sophomore libero Ryan Healy (Fair Lawn, N.J.) notched a team-high 12 digs.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Lipton and Dey combined for 13 kills in sets two and three.
- Set three featured Endicott’s most efficient offense (18 kills, .262 hitting percentage, eight student-athletes with at least one kill).
FOR THE FOES
- Thomas Burrell (Somerset, N.J.) had a team-high 13 kills on just 15 swings (.800).
- Dylan DeBoer (Vernon Hills, Ill.) and Gabe Shankweiler (Allentown, Pa.) both finished with 11 kills each.
- Jacob Patterson (Los Gatos, Calif.) dished out a match-high 38 assists.
- Five student-athletes on the roster had five or more digs in the win (Shankweiler, Patterson, DeBoer, Ian Bennett, Scott Russell).
MATCH TWO: No. 5 Wentworth 3, Endicott 1 (18-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-17)
Coming off an exciting match against Stevens to start the day, the Gulls went on to use that momentum in match two versus Wentworth and took set one 25-18. The Leopards responded in set two, 25-22, despite playing through 12 tied scores and four lead changes, before finishing off Endicott over the final two sets.
Lipton put together another outstanding performance in match two behind 18 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Dey chipped in with 11 kills (.381), and Toth and Troy Riorden (Fairport, N.Y.) each had eight.
C. Riorden concluded match two with 24 assists, and Dake wrapped up his day with 19. T. Riorden led all Gulls with 11 digs, while Healy popped up seven attacks.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls hit .310 or better in the first three sets of the match, and tallied 10 or more kills in all four sets.
- Lipton had six putaways in the first set, four in the second, three in the third, and five in the fourth.
- T. Riorden notched two or more digs in each set (3, 2, 2, 4).
FOR THE FOES
- Jake Reed (Arvada, Colo.) posted 18 kills on 32 swings (.469).
- Jon Roat (Macedon, N.Y.) had nine kills (.438), while Ollie Oshman (Pennington, N.J.) and Alex Potts (Niverville, N.Y.) tied for third on the team with six kills apiece.
- Collin Ritter (Feeding Hills, Mass.) set up 24 kills, and also registered six digs.
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott (4-8) hosts Emmanuel on Wednesday, February 8 at 7 PM. Stevens (8-0) takes on Lancaster Bible and No. 12 Eastern Mennonite next Saturday at 11 AM and 1 PM, respectively. Wentworth (6-2) travels to Regis on Tuesday at 7 PM
