RAPID REACTION w/ CHRIS LIPSCOMB
BEVERLY, Mass. — The Endicott men's basketball team's fast start helped the Gulls turn away Nichols, 93-80, Saturday afternoon inside MacDonald Gymnasium in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action.
The Gulls led start to finish as they jumped out to a commanding 23-point lead—their largest lead of the game—on junior guard Joel Villa's (Bronx, N.Y.) layup to give the hosts a 47-24 advantage with 4:53 to play in the opening stanza.
Endicott scored a season-high 52 points in the first half, as the Gulls went into the locker room up 52-35 at the break.
The Bison edged the Gulls by a four-point margin in the second half, but Endicott was able to put the game out of reach despite being out-shot at the free throw line single handedly by Nichols' sophomore guard Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) who made more free throws (16-of-17) than the Gulls attempted in the entire game (9-of-15).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls tied their season-high with 93 points (W, 93-89 at Middlebury on 11/27/16), which was the most they've scored in a conference game this season.
- Endicott buried a season-high 37 field goals and blocked a season-high five shots.
- Endicott placed four student-athletes in double figures as senior guard Kamahl Walker's (Worcester, Mass.) 15 points joined Lipscomb (18) in the double-digit scoring column alongside 12 points apiece from senior guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) and freshman guard Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.).
- Senior forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) grabbed a tied-for-game-high nine rebounds.
- Junior forward Christien Morneweck (Burlington, Mass.) blocked a career-high three shots and registered a season-high seven points off the bench.
FOR THE FOES
- Echevarria scored 22 of his game-high 37 points in the first half alone.
- Freshman guard DeAnte Bruton (New London, Conn.) joined Echavarria in double figures with 21 points and four rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
- Freshman forward Jerome Cunningham (Westbury, N.Y.) tied Sampson with a game-high nine boards.
NOTES
- The Gulls are 17-9 overall and 11-3 at home in the all-time series against Nichols.
- Endicott has won four of the past five meetings, including an 82-80 win in the CCC Semifinals on 02/25/16 in the most recent matchup before today.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Gulls (12-3, 7-1 CCC) travel to face Roger Williams on Tuesday, January 17th at 7:30 p.m.
Nichols (11-4, 6-2 CCC) hosts Salve Regina on Tuesday, January 17th at 5:30 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.