Jan. 31, 2009
WENHAM, Mass. - A hot-handed Endicott men's basketball team mounted a 15 point halftime lead and was able to hold off a late surging Gordon College squad, 77-70, in front of a packed house inside the Bennett Center on Saturday afternoon in Wenham, Mass. The much needed TCCC win improves the Gulls to 3-4 in conference play and 8-11 overall, while the Fighting Scots fall to 13-5 and 4-3 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference.
Endicott came out flying in the game's opening minutes. Sophomore center Justin Martin (Cromwell, Conn.) set the tone early as he powered home a two-handed slam for the game's opening points. The Gulls then went on to hit seven of their first eight shots, taking an 18-9 lead just five minutes into the contest.
Endicott stretched its lead all the way to 30-15 before Gordon came firing back. Sharp-shooting Brady Bajema (Whitinsville, Mass.) hit a trio of three pointers in the opening frame, including two in the final 1:27 to pull the Fighting Scots to within three at the break, 36-33.
The hosts regained the momentum to start the second half, getting strong inside play from Greg Walker (Uxbridge, Mass.) to help take a 45-40 lead at the 14:50 mark. The Gulls answered with a fresh Kevin McGuire (New City, N.Y.) off the bench, who came into the game and hit a pair of jumpers to knot the score at 45-all.
The game continued back and forth until about the 10-minute mark, when Endicott stepped up its defensive pressure. The Gulls' defense held the Fighting Scots scoreless for the better half of three minutes, thanks in part to a half court defensive presence.
Tim Boyatsis (Dover, N.H.) came up big several times down the stretch for Endicott, as he buried a jumper with 9:36 left to play to give Endicott a 52-51 lead they would not relinquish. The sophomore scored 10 points in 13 minutes, including a strong 4-for-5 effort from the free throw line after Gordon was forced to foul in the closing minutes.
Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, Maine), who hit several tough contested shots in the opening half, finished the afternoon with a game-high 19 points. Chris Galbraith (Lowell, Mass.) had his inside game going but was also able to knock down the 15-footer, as he notched 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Guard Bobby Montrond (Brockton, Mass.) chipped in a well-rounded nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the win.
In addition to Bajema and Walker, Ben Gaskill (Columbus, Ohio) and Aaron Trigg (Overland Park, Kans.) both scored 13 points apiece for Gordon.
Endicott outrebounded Gordon at a 37-28 clip. The Blue and Green also got a dominating performance out of their reserves, as the Endicott bench outscored Gordon's subs, 36-9.
Endicott returns to action on Tuesday evening where the Gulls will play host to Colby-Sawyer College at 6:00 p.m. Viewers will be able to watch all the action live as the game will be webcasted on Endicott All-Access beginning at 5:55 p.m.
