SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Endicott men's basketball team dropped its second consecutive Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) game on Saturday afternoon, as it fell to Western New England by a score of 95-76 at Alumni Healthful Living Center.

Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) led the Gulls' efforts with a game-high 22 points (8-13 FG, 2-5 3PT, 4-5 FT) and 10 rebounds (seven defensive, three offensive).

Jeff Hill (Lynn, Mass.) recorded 12 points (4-7 FG) while also dishing out three assists and picking up two steals for the Blue and Green.

Matt Boen (Mansfield, Mass.) contributed 11 points (3-5 FG) and swiped three steals in just 13 minutes of action coming off the bench. 

The two teams traded baskets frequently early on in the contest. With 16:13 on the clock in the first half, Hill set up Kinney for a triple to give Endicott a brief 11-8 lead. Just seconds later, the Golden Bears answered with a three of their own, which started an 8-0 run for the Bears.

After Western New England's Brian Geitner (Tolland, Conn.) drilled a three-pointer to extend the Golden Bears' lead to eight (29-21), Parker McLaren (Newburyport, Mass.) responded with another trifecta for the Gulls, cutting the deficit back to just five with 8:32 remaining in the half. 

The Golden Bears closed out the stanza with a 15-8 scoring run, heading into the break with a 44-32 advantage over the Gulls.

In the second half, with 17:44 remaining, Ty Vitko (Dover, N.H.) found Kinney for an easy layup inside to get the Gulls back within striking distance (48-39 WNE lead). Unfortunately for Endicott, the Golden Bears erupted for a 16-3 run over the next 3:37 and didn't look back from that point on. They went on to take the game by a score of 95-76 in what was the first of two meetings between the teams this season. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Despite the loss, Endicott still holds an 18-13 lead in the all-time series.
• With today's loss, Endicott slides down to the fourth seed in the CCC standings, while Western New England climbs to the second.
• Kinney notched his seventh double-double of the season.
• WNE shot 45% (11-24) from three-point territory in the contest.
• The Golden Bears outscored the Gulls 46-30 in the paint.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (10-5, 5-2 CCC) welcomes Roger Williams to MacDonald Gymnasium on Wednesday, January 17 for a 7:30 PM tipoff. Western New England (11-4, 6-1 CCC) travels to Gordon on Wednesday and will also tip off at 7:30 PM.

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)