Nov. 27, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - Bates senior guard Brian Wholey (Marshfield, MA/BC High) drove the length of the floor and knocked down a pull-up jumper with just one second remaining in regulation, beating the buzzer and sinking Endicott College, 63-62, in a non-conference men's basketball contest in Beverly, Massachusetts on Tuesday night.
Wholey and the Bobcats opened the game strong as a step-back three pointer from the senior guard put the visitors ahead 10-4 early on. Endicott responded with a seven point run including a deep three-ball from Gary Corbett (Danbury, CT/Danbury) to give the Gulls their first lead of the night, 11-10.
The back and forth play continued into the latter part of the first half as the two teams played to five ties in the opening frame. Junior guard Ross Stewart (Palm Harbor, FL/East Lake) sent Endicott into the intermission with a slight one point cushion as he dialed in from behind the arc, giving the Gulls a 31-30 halftime lead.
The Bobcats stormed out of the dressing room and pounced on the Gulls to open the second stanza, quickly building a five point lead as Jimmy O'Keefe (Lexington, MA/Lexington) picked up the hoop and the foul to earn three the hard way for the visitors. Bates would extend that lead to six midway through the second half as O'Keefe made a nice backdoor cut and took a feed from Brian Ellis (Braintree, MA/Braintree) for the lay-in.
However Endicott refused to go away as the Blue and Green fought their way to the free throw line over the next several minutes and converted on four-straight attempts to pull back within two.
With 3:22 remaining in regulation, Bates' Chris Wilson (Brewer, ME/Brewer) misfired on a three point attempt allowing Samuel Evans (Philadelphia, PA/Hyde School) to regain possession for Endicott with a huge defensive rebound. The Gulls made the ensuing possession count as Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, ME/Cheverus) buried a 12-foot jumper to tie the game at 58-all.
Brian Wholey regained the lead for Bates as he gathered his own rebound and sunk a gutsy three-pointer to give Bates the 61-58 lead. Samuel Evans responded on the other end for Endicott as he took a hard drive to the hoop for two to bring the Gulls back within one.
Following a Bobcat miss with 32-seconds remaining, Graham Whitelaw nailed a pull-up jumper from just inside the three-point line to give Endicott a 62-61 lead with just six seconds left on the clock. Bates' Brian Wholey took the inbound pass and drove the length of the floor, knocking down the jumper just as time expired to send the visitors to a walk-off victory.
Wholey and Brian Ellis led all-scorers as the pair each scored 19 points in the win. Chris Wilson also reached double-figures for the Bobcats as he notched 12 points and dished out three assists for Bates.
Endicott was led by Bobby Montrond's (Brockton, MA/Brockton) 13 points and six steals. Samuel Evans was also big for the Gulls as he compiled a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort. Sharpshooter Gary Corbett finished the evening with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from behind the arc. Endicott shot 57.7% (15-of-26) from the free throw line.
The setback lowers Endicott's record to 1-2 overall and 0-0 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Gulls return to work on Saturday afternoon as they host the Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 2:00 pm in Beverly, Mass.
