Dec. 9, 2003
NORTON, MA- The Endicott College men's basketball team and Wheaton College battled through 20 ties, 13 lead changes and two overtime periods Tuesday night in Emerson Gymnasium, as the Gulls posted a thrilling 93-85 non-conference win. Falling to 4-2, Wheaton saw its four-game winning streak come to an end. Endicott improves to 3-2.
The first half witnessed a see-saw battle, as senior Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) put the Lyons up 2-0 early. Endicott responded quickly on a 7-0 run, spearheaded by sophomore Matt George (Dover, NH/Dover). The hosts answered back, as freshman Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) drilled a trey and senior Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) converted a two-point shot to even the score at seven.
Endicott had success running it's offence early as it forced Wheaton to commit 8 early fouls allowing Endicott to lead 32-27 with a few minutes left in the first stanza, Mahan and Vega hit back-to-back jumpers to bring Wheaton to within one. After an Endicott bucket, Vega eluded his defender and dropped a three-point basket to tie the game with under a minute to go. Mahan closed out the half with two more points to give Wheaton a 36-34 edge heading into the break.
The second half started back and forth with no team being able to pull away. Wheaton then went on a 7-2 run as Endicott committed two turnovers and Wheaton capitalized. After Vega put Wheaton up 65-60 with a pair of free throws at the 2:02 mark, senior guard Tom Foster (Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic) sunk a three to bring the Gulls within two with 1:34 left on the clock. The defense proved stellar in the final minute for both teams, but Matt George enticed Scott Mahan to foul with 16 seconds remaining. Matt George converted both free throws and Wheaton failed to score on its last push in regulation, sending the game into overtime knotted at 65-65.
In the first overtime, foul trouble set in for Wheaton as senior Richard Henninger (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury), Whall and junior Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) each fell victim to disqualification on fouls. Endicott lost Matt George, Nemanja Marinkovic and Chris Lacasse as they all fouled out. Endicott took a 2 point lead as James Leveque finished and inside move off a fine assist by Josh Oxton with 16 seconds remaining. Down 75-73 with the shot clock off, Vega drove the lane hard and used a lay-up from the left side to send the game into a second extra session.
Tommy Foster opened the second overtime with a three point basket and Jeremy Currier scored on consecutive posessions to stretch Endicott's lead to five. From there the Gulls were relentless from the free throw line, hitting eleven consecutive freebies over the two overtime periods and 7-of-8 in the second overtime, to seal the victory. For the game, Endicott made an impressive 35-of-42 (.833) from the line.
Vega was the game's high-scorer with career-best totals of 37 points, 16 free throws and 20 free throw attempts. Mahan scored 22 points (7-11 FG, 8-10 FT) with a game-high tying nine boards, while Whall added 14 points and nine rebounds.
Currier led a slew of Gulls boasting double-figure scoring with 25 points. Foster tallied 14 points, including his clutch 6-of-6 shooting performance from the charity stripe. Junior Josh Oxton (Center Harbor, NH/New Hampton Prep.) added 13 points, while classmate James Leveque (Dorchester, MA/Charlestown) chipped in 11 points. George and freshman Nemanja Marinkovic (Houston, TX/Second Baptist) each had 10 points.
Endicott hosts WPI at 6:00pm Thursday as they go for their first home win.
Story Courtesy of Wheaton College Sport Information
