BOSTON, Mass. — The Endicott men’s basketball team defeated Suffolk, 82-62, in Conference of New England (CNE) action on Saturday afternoon inside Larry E. Smith and Michael S. Smith Court.
Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester) led the way with a game-high 28 points (10-18 FG, 2-3 3PT, 6-9 FT) and seven boards.
Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) pitched in with 21 points (8-13 FG, 2-3 3PT, 3-4 FT) and snagged nine rebounds.
Parker McLaren (Newburyport) manufactured 10 points and two steals, while Matt Boen (Mansfield, Mass.) added nine points, four rebounds, and four assists.
In the opening stanza, the Gulls took an 18-13 advantage with 10:15 to play in the half courtesy of an 8-1 spurt. The scoring run was produced by a McLaren jumper, two layups by Kinney, and a Boen lay-in.
Soon after in the final eight minutes of the half, Endicott outscored Suffolk 17-11 to take a 37-30 lead into the locker room. Montagnino and Kinney had six and five points, respectively, during that timespan.
From there, the Gulls continued their strong play with a 9-0 stretch to take their largest lead to that point, 57-39 with 12:10 remaining. Montagnino (5), Max Grenert (Beverly) (2), Kinney (1), and McLaren (1) paced the Gulls during the run.
The Rams cut the deficit in half to 57-48, but the Gulls ignited the lead back to double-digits the rest of the way to capture their eighth straight win.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Suffolk leads the all-times series, 7-6.
- The Gulls created 16 Suffolk turnovers, which turned into 12 points on the offensive end.
- The visitors’ outdualed the hosts’ in the painted area, 32-18.
- Endicott is an unblemished 5-0 when shooting 45.0% or better beyond-the-arc.
- The Blue and Green swiped 10 steals for the fifth time this season.
WHAT’S NEXT
Endicott (15-6, 12-2 CNE) hosts Nichols on Tuesday, February 11 at 7:30 PM. Suffolk (14-7, 10-4 CNE) visits Western New England (WNE) on Tuesday at 7:30 PM.
