Jan. 12, 2008
QUINCY, Mass. - Endicott College had four players reach double figures as the Gulls powered their way past Eastern Nazarene, 79-65, in The Commonwealth Coast Conference season opener in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Endicott raced out to a quick 10-3 lead in under five minutes to open the contest as Todd Burton (Lynn, Mass./St. Mary's/Canterbury) and Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, Maine/Cheverus) connected on back-to-back buckets to spark the visitors.
Eastern Nazarene charged its way back into contention as the Crusaders pulled even at 14 all on a three-point play by Jean-Paul Marcellus (Dorchester, Mass.). The Gulls kept their composure and rattled off a 9-2 run, capped off by a lay-in by Joey Burgos (Lawrence, Mass./Lawrence) to put Endicott up, 23-16. The Blue and Green would ride the momentum into the break, as the Gulls held a 36-27 lead at halftime.
The Gulls shot their way into the second frame as Gary Corbett (Danbury, Conn./Danbury), Todd Burton and Graham Whitelaw buried three consecutive 3-pointers to extend the Endicott lead to 20. Eastern Nazarene was never able to pull back within 10, as the Blue and Green cruised to a 79-65 victory.
Endicott was led by a pair of 16 point scorers in Graham Whitelaw and Todd Burton. Tom Connor (Kittery, Maine/Traip Academy) added 13 points while Joey Burgos dropped 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win.
Jean-Paul Marcellus led the way for the Crusaders as he scored a game-high 21 points and hauled in 16 rebounds to record the double-double. Luc Jasmin (Pawtucket, R.I.) was the only other Crusader to score in double digits, as he posted 11 points for the home team.
With the win, Endicott improves to 4-7 overall and 1-0 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Gulls return to action on Tuesday night as they travel to Dudley, Mass. to take on TCCC foe Nichols College. Game time is slated for 8:00 pm.
