Feb. 10, 2009
BEVERLY, Mass. - The University of New England broke a 49-all tie by rattling off a 19-0 run midway through the second half, lifting the Nor'easters past host Endicott College, 81-72, in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference match-up in Beverly, Mass. The win extends UNE's winning-streak to 18-straight games and improves the Nor'easters' record to 19-3 (10-0 TCCC). Endicott slips to 8-14 overall and 3-7 in league play.
The visitor's were quick out of the locker room as UNE opened the game on a 15-3 run just five minutes into the first half. Endicott responded with a run of its own, battling their way to within two, 28-26, on a successful layup by junior Kevin McGuire (New City, N.Y.). Following the McGuire basket, a tense environment finally boiled over as UNE coach Jason Mulligan was whistled for a technical foul, allowing the Gulls' Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, Maine) to sink consecutive freebies to knot the game at 28-all.
The Nor'easters used a 9-2 run in the closing minutes of the first frame as Steve Belmonte (Levittown, N.Y.) dialed in from behind the arc to regain the visitor's advantage. However, another UNE technical opened the door in the final ticks of the half as Endicott went on a 7-0 burst, capped off by an off-balance buzzer-beating jumper from Ross Stewart (Palm Harbor, Fla.) to send the two teams into the intermission tied a 37.
Jaykyri Simpson (East Cleburne, Texas) resumed regulation by burying a step-back three-pointer just nine seconds into the half to quickly put UNE back on top. The visitors would once again extend the lead to nine, only to have Endicott answer the challenge by closing the game back to even at 49-all with 13:05 remaining.
From there, the Endicott offense went ice-cold as the Nor'easters stepped up their defensive pressure. The visitors went on a game-changing 19-0 run that spanned nearly six minutes to put the game out of reach. The Gulls were able to hit some shots down the stretch, however the gap was simply too large as Endicott fell, 81-72.
Four of UNE's five starters reached double-figures as the Nor'easters got a team-high 19 points from freshman Anthony Johnson (Austin, Texas). Steve Belmonte finished with 17 points while both Quentin Thompson (Austin, Texas) and Johnnie Jefferson (Dallas, Texas) had 14 points in the win. Jaykyri Simpson, the other UNE starter, had six points, seven assists and five rebounds for the visitors.
Endicott got a game-high 23 points from junior Graham Whitelaw. Kevin McGuire was the lone other Gull to reach double-figures, as he had 14 points. Ross Stewart finished a perfect 3-for-3 from the field for nine points in the loss. The University of New England looks to stick to its winning-ways on Saturday as the Nor'easters travel to Colby-Sawyer for a TCCC contest with playoff implications. The Gulls retake the court the same day as they travel to Salve Regina for a 3:00 p.m. tip with the Seahawks.
