WATERVILLE, Maine – Four starters in double figures catapulted the Endicott men's basketball team to an 86-58 win over Plymouth State on day one of the Colby Classic with sophomore guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) scoring 20 points to lead all scorers. The Gulls shot 48% from the field as a team, including 47% (7-of-15) from three-point range, en route to securing their spot in the tournament final against the host Mules.
Endicott (2-0) takes on Colby (2-1) for a 3:00 pm tip-off on Saturday, November 22nd after the Mules downed Daniel Webster 96-66 in the first game of the night. Endicott and Colby have met three times in either team's history with the Mules owning a 2-1 advantage over the Gulls. After Endicott won the series opener 78-76 in the 2007-08 season, Colby responded by taking the next two contests in the 2008-09 (65-56) and 2009-10 (72-61) seasons.
In 25 game minutes, Walker connected on 6-of-9 field goal attempts and 6-of-7 free throw shots while grabbing six defensive rebounds, dishing out three assists, and blocking a shot. Walker, along with senior forward Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) and sophomore guard Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.), hit two attempts from beyond the arc. Makris netted 14 points while Sawyer provided important points off the bench (nine) while creating offensive opportunities with a game-high five dimes.
Senior guard John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) and sophomore guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) also reached double figures in the win with 13 points apiece. Both players stuffed the stat sheet as Henault had five rebounds, three assists, and three steals and Motroni adding seven points and two assists to his totals.
Eight first half points by Plymouth State sophomore guard Curtis Arsenault (Berlin, N.H.) helped keep the Panthers within striking distance of Endicott's early advantage as the Gulls held an 18-15 lead 9:10 into the game. Back-to-back three's by Walker and Sawyer jump-started an 11-5 run to help gain separation and with the score 38-31, Endicott pulled off their most impressive run of the night as they ended the first half on a 12-2 streak to hold a 50-33 lead at the break.
Arsenault with finished with a team-high 15 points with seven of his points coming at the charity stripe. Arsenault added seven boards, three assists, a steal, and a block in the loss.
In the second half, the Blue and Green turned more to their bench to score 17 of their 36 second-half points. Senior forward Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) poured in five of his seven points in the second period, Sawyer added four points and two assists, and both senior Matt Kneece (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and freshman Joel Villa (Bronx, N.Y.) netting three points apiece.
