BEVERLY, Mass. – Facing a second-half deficit as large as 17 points to CCC foe University of New England, the Endicott men's basketball team stormed back to tie the game on two separate occasions but their comeback bid fell short as the Nor'easters held off the Gulls 78-76 at MacDonald Gymnasium on Thursday evening.
UNE (3-12, 2-6 CCC) used a game-high 25 points, including 15 points from beyond the three-point line, by first year guard Devin Thompson (Winthrop, Mass.) to end their three-game losing streak to conference opponents. Thompson came up with a layup and clutch free throws over the final two minutes of the game to help edge Endicott on the road.
Endicott (7-8, 2-6 CCC) pressed UNE into 13 second-half turnovers leading to 16 points off miscues. The Gulls were led by the sophomore duo of John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) and Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) who scored 24 and 21 points, respectively. Senior guard Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) netted 12 of his 14 points in the second half and totaled a game-high six assists and four steals.
The Nor'easters also saw starters Charles Fenner III (Bronx, N.Y.) and Joshua Butler (Nantucket, Mass.) reach double figures with 17 and 14 points each. Butler was aggressive on the boards as well, adding eight rebounds including six on the offensive glass. Sophomore guard Jake Abel (Fairfield, Calif.) tallied six points and dished out three assists in the win.
Endicott started the game on a 10-0 run which saw Greene assist on three of the four Gulls baskets. UNE, however, fought back to take the lead at 20-18 on a Thompson three-pointer with 8:32 remaining in the half. Greene would tie the game at 20-20 moments later but Thompson struck again as he hit another shot from beyond the arc to give the Nor'easters a lead they would not relinquish until the 7:40 mark of the second half.
UNE held a 42-33 advantage at the break and pushed their lead up to 17 points just 1:23 into the second half as Thompson hit back-to-back threes and Abel got a layup. Endicott started their defensive stand and with the score at 63-60 UNE at 7:57, Gulls freshman guard Matt Ellis (Westford, Mass.) drained a three-pointer to tie the game. Henault tied the game against at 65-65 with a tip-in off a miss by Makris, but another Thompson three and a dunk by Butler put the visitors back on top.
The Blue and Green would pull to within one point in the final minutes of the game but UNE, thanks to a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line down the stretch held on for their third win of the season.
Endicott shot 50.9% (28-of-55) from the floor, 33.3% (8-of-21) from three-point range, and 75.0% (12-of-16) at the free throw line. UNE shot 51.9% (28-of-55) from the floor, 44.4% (8-of-18) from beyond the arc, and 77.8% (14-of-17) at the charity stripe.
Endicott, having lost their last five games, will look to right the ship on Saturday, January 19th at CCC rival Eastern Nazarene. Tip-off is 3:00 pm in Quincy, Massachusetts. UNE hosts CCC opponent Western New England also on Saturday at 3:00 pm.
