BEVERLY, Mass. – Taking on Williams for the first time in 12 years, the Endicott men's basketball team nearly pulled off an upset of the defending NCAA runner-ups as the Gulls held a 73-70 advantage with 3:02 remaining but an 8-0 run by the Ephs late in the game fueled a 79-76 victory in Endicott's MacDonald Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
In Endicott's first action of 2015, the Gulls found themselves in a 16-1 hole early in the first half but battled their way out of early shooting troubles to trail by just two at halftime. Endicott sophomore guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) poured in 20 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to help push his squad ahead of their NESCAC opponents, but Ephs senior guard Daniel Wohl (La Canada, Calif.) scored six of his team-high 24 points during that pivotal 8-0 Williams run.
Endicott (6-4) failed to secure their first win over Williams (9-3) after two previous meetings over a decade ago ended in lopsided defeats. The Gulls turn their attention back to their CCC schedule with a road game at Salve Regina on Tuesday, January 6th at 7:30 PM in Newport, Rhode Island. The Ephs open up their conference schedule next Friday at home against Trinity (Conn.) for a 7:00 PM tip-off.
Williams used the opening 4:19 of the game to amass a 16-1 advantage over Endicott as the Gulls missed their first eight shots and the combination of Wohl, seven points, and sophomore guard Daniel Aronowitz (Colombus, Ohio), six points on two three pointers, sparked the visitors offense in the early going. After a timeout by Endicott head coach Kevin Bettencourt, the Gulls began to chip away at Williams' 15-point lead and found themselves down by nine (39-30) with 3:54 left until halftime thanks to strong defense and regular free throw opportunities with the Ephs in first half foul trouble.
Endicott ended the first half on a 7-0 run that included a pair of free throw makes apiece by Walker and fellow sophomore guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) as well as a layup by sophomore guard Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.). The Gulls shot just 35% from the field in the first half but made up for at the free throw line by making 14-of-19 attempts. Motroni (nine points) was Endicott's halftime leading scorer with Basden adding in another seven points with two assists.
Aronowitz (14 points) and Wohl (11 points) combined for 64% of Williams' first half points with sophomore guard Mike Greenman (Linwood, N.J.) and junior forward Darrias Sime (Renton, Wash.) contributing with six and five points, respectively. Greenman also had four assists and two steals in the opening half.
In the second half, the Ephs once again started off hot by expanding their two point lead (39-37) up to nine (51-42, 16:39 2nd) in a blink of an eye thanks to some efficient three-point shooting from Wohl and Greenman. The Gulls would cut the Williams lead down to three (53-50) before finding themselves back down by nine (59-50) with 12:07 left in the second half.
Endicott stepped up their defensive efforts, due in large part to the play of Basden and senior forward Tell White (New Castle, N.H.), and rattled off an 13-2 run that saw the Blue and Green not only tie the game on a three by Walker but take their first lead of the game (73-71) after a Walker layup with 7:48 on the clock.
Endicott and Williams would battle back-and-forth with the Ephs regaining a three-point lead (70-67, 5:35 2nd) before Walker again took over the game to push his team ahead 71-70 on back-to-back baskets. Motroni added a layup for his 15th and 16th points of the game to make it 73-70 with 3:02 left in regulation.
Williams began their crucial 8-0 run on a made jumper by freshman guard Chris Galvin (Memphis, Tenn.) and took over the lead on a three-point play by Wohl as he got fouled going to the hoop. Another jumper by Wohl and a free throw by Greenman put the scoreboard at 78-73 Williams with 43 ticks on the clock remaining. Walker hit a deep three-pointer to cut the lead down to two and Endicott would put Wohl on the line with a chance to hit two free throws and put the game away. Wohl made the first and missed the second to give Endicott a chance to the tie game, trailing 79-76 with 12 seconds left.
Walker's bid to tie the game with a three came up short as Williams held on for the road win.
Endicott shot 39% from the field in the game and 25% (7-of-28) from beyond the arc. After hitting 14-of-19 free throws in the first, the Gulls connected on just 1-of-3 opportunities in the second. Williams shot 48% from the floor, 48% from three-point range (10-of-21), and 69% (11-of-16) from the charity stripe. The Ephs held a slim 41-40 rebounding advantage but Endicott had 17 offensive rebounds which led to 15 second chance points.
Gulls sophomore forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) was the game's leading rebounder with eight including four on the offensive glass while Aronowitz and Wohl each had seven boards. Off the bench, Basden and White each had six caroms to go along with a combined 16 points. Walker and Greenman each had a game-high five assists while both Basden and Galvin had four assists each in reserve roles.
