KEENE, N.H.- The Endicott men's basketball team edged Elms 93-89 in the opening round of the Keene State Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday.
Five Gulls scored in double figures as a balanced Endicott attack would be the difference on the night. Tied for the team-lead with 22 points were junior guards Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) and Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.). Walker's 22 came on 8-19 (42.1%) shooting from the field including two three pointers to go along with four rebounds and three assists while Motroni shot 6-14 (42.8%) including 3-7 (42.8%) from deep.
Senior Taylor Rioux (Ivoryton, Conn.) recorded a double-double in his return to the hardwood by scoring 12 points and hauling in a game-high 11 rebounds. The forward shot an efficient 5-6 (83.3%) from the field as four of his rebounds came on the offensive glass.
Junior guard Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) finished third on the team with 14 points as he was a perfect 4-4 from the line and led all players with four assists.
The Gulls trailed by three at half, 48-45, after Elms got off to a quick 10-0 start. Endicott would counter with a 17-0 run to gain a 17-10 lead over the Blazers. The two teams would exchange leads before being tied at 37-37 with 3:11 to go in the half. Fueled by four Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.) baskets including a three pointer, the Blazers would take the three point lead into the break.
Endicott would come out firing in the second, eventually re-gaining the lead at 54-53 with 16:58 remaining behind a Motroni three-pointer. The largest lead Endicott would possess was eight, with 10:25 to go after a pair of Motroni free throws made it 72-64 in favor of the Gulls before a Symon Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla.) three gave the Blazers a 80-79 edge. Seven points from Walker highlighted a 14-9 run the rest of the way to give Endicott the 93-89 win as the Gulls out-scored the Blazers by seven in the second half, 48-41.
BEYOND THE BOX
Endicott out-shot Elms from the field, 46.2% to 45.2%, from three, 34.4% to 32.0%, and from the line, 73.3% to 71.4%.
The Gulls held a slight advantage in rebounds, 42-41, and assists, 17-16, on the night.
With the win, Endicott improves to 5-0 all-time against Elms, in the first meeting between the two programs since 2002. The four point victory was the closest margin of victory, beating the previous mark of seven, set in a 60-53 win on January 18, 2001.
Freshman Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.) enjoyed an impressive debut, scoring 11 points off the bench on 4-8 shooting from the field, including 3-7 from deep.
FOR THE FOES
Buchanon came off the bench to lead all players with 32 points on 11-21 (52.4%) shooting from the floor. The senior guard was 5-6 (83.3%) from the line and 5-10 (50.0%) from three as he also led all players with three steals.
Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with nine boards and 18 points in the loss. His 18 points came on 8-12 (75.0%) shooting from the floor.
Guard Symon Smith led the Blazers with three assists while also scoring 13 points.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Gulls now advance to the championship game of the Keene State Tip-Off Tournament where they will take on host Keene State at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. Keene State advanced to the championship game after posting a 108-104 victory over Green Mountain in the other semifinal. Elms now enters the consolation round where they will take on Green Mountain. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
