BRISTOL, R.I. — Senior guard Kamahl Walker's (Worcester, Mass.) game-high 25 points wasn't enough for Endicott as Roger Williams University avenged last season's Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship loss to the Gulls with some 73-66 home hardwood heroics of its own Tuesday night inside the Campus Rec Center.
In the first half that featured five ties, the Gulls trailed just once, down 17-13, before building a nine-point lead (30-21 on Walker's trio of free throws) with 1:45 on the clock and headed into the halftime break with a 32-26 edge.
Roger Williams seized the opportunity to move into a three-way tie atop the conference standings with Endicott and Nichols, as the Hawks' 47-point second half showing helped snap the Gulls' streak of five straight victories in head-to-head matchups.
The Hawks clawed away at Endicott's second nine-point lead of the night (54-45 with 7:55 remaining) to overtake the the Gulls for the first time in the second stanza with just 2:52 left in the game on junior guard Nick Marini's (Loudonville, N.Y.) free throw and for good with a 8-0 run with just under two minutes remaining.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- In all, the game saw seven knotted scores and seven lead changes.
- Endicott placed two more student-athletes in double figures to join Walker as senior forward Chris Lipscomb (West Springfield, Mass.) matched his career-high set this past Saturday against Nichols with 18 points, followed by 13 points from senior guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.).
- Lipscomb finished with 18 points, six rebounds, three assists, and four steals, as he converted 7-of-10 field goals, including a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
- Walker has now scored 20+ points in seven games this season.
- Senior guard Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) grabbed a team-high/season-high 10 rebounds, including nine boards in the first half.
- Endicott matched its season low with 21 made field goals and shot a season-worst 35.0 percent from the floor.
- The two teams combined for just 13 points off the bench.
FOR THE FOES
- The Hawks have now won nine of their last 10 games and own the best record in the conference at 13-3 overall.
- Junior forward Conor O'Brien (Sharon, Mass.) and sophomore guard Austin Coene (Tyngsborough, Mass.) each poured in a team-high 20 points, while O'Brien also notched a double-double with a floor-best 11 rebounds.
- Senior forward Josh Syska (Peabody, Mass.) dished out a game-best five assists.
NOTES
- The Gulls are 26-8 overall and 9-4 on the road in the all-time series against Roger Williams.
- Endicott had previously won the past five meetings before tonight, including a 75-62 win in the CCC Championship on 02/27/16 in the most recent matchup before today.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Gulls (12-4, 7-2 CCC) welcome Eastern Nazarene to Beverly, Mass. on Saturday, January 21st at 3:00 p.m.
Roger Williams (13-3, 7-2 CCC) travels to Milton, Mass. to take on Curry on Saturday, January 21st at 3:00 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.