BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team held a seven point lead with 4:20 remaining in the second half, but Roger Williams stormed back and with just 10 seconds left took the lead on a Zac Campbell (Woodbridge, Conn.) layup as the Hawks upended the Gulls 78-76 in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action.
Campbell's layup made it a 77-76 game for the visitors with time remaining for one final Endicott possession. Gulls freshman Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.), who had come on strong in the second half with 10 of his 12 points, looked to drive the lane but was stripped by Roger Williams junior Ryan Palumbo (Warwick, R.I.). Campbell made 1-of-2 free throws down the other end following a quick foul, but with less than one tick on the clock Endicott had no chance for a last-second bid to tie the game or take the lead.
Endicott (14-7, 8-6 CCC), who were 7-2 in league play back on January 23rd, have now lost four of their last five conference games. Each loss has been by single digits with an average margin of defeat of less than four points. The Gulls have four games remaining on their regular season schedule starting with Wednesday's road match up with the top team in the CCC Nichols who own a 15-5 (11-2 CCC) record going into the weekend.
Roger Williams improved to 7-14 overall and 6-8 in conference play. The Hawks have won two out of their last three games and look to continue their recent success on Wednesday, February 12th at Curry.
Hawks freshman forward Chris Bardwell (North Andover, Mass.) was the leading scorer in today's game, scoring 21 points off the bench on 9-of-12 shooting and adding three rebounds, a steal, and an assist. Bardwell came on strong in the second period with 14 points. Campbell off the bench added 12 points while Palumbo also dropped 12 points with four assists and four steals in a starting role. Roger Williams freshman forward Josh Syska (Peabody, Mass.) led a Hawks team that total 19 assists with a game-high seven dimes to go along with 11 points.
For Endicott, no starter reached double figures in points as juniors John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) both scored nine points. Endicott's bench was effective as junior forward Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) scored a team-high 16 points on 5-of-7 from the floor including a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range as well as 3-of-4 at the free throw line. Makris hauled in four boards, dished two assists, and recorded a steal as well. White was an effective passer for Endicott, leading the way with four assists.
Endicott shot 46.8% as a team overall and 46.7% (7-of-15) from beyond the arc but struggled at the line, making just 11-of-18 free throws. The Gulls held a slim 35-32 rebounding advantage.
Roger Williams finished 53.6% from the floor as a team and 45.5% (5-of-11) from three-point range. The Hawks hit 13-of-21 free throws for a 61.9% clip. Both teams saw their benches do the majority of the scoring as Endicott saw 45 of their 76 points scored by reserves and Roger Williams got 40 of their 78 from off the bench.
