Endicott Returns to CCC Championship Game after OT Semifinal Victory

BEVERLY, Mass. – On Saturday, February 28^th at 2:00 p.m. the Endicott men's basketball team will vie for their sixth Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title after outlasting Eastern Nazarene 87-80 in overtime inside MacDonald Gymnasium. The Gulls will be making their seventh appearance in the CCC Championship game since joining the league in the 1999-00 season.

Thursday night's match up between the #2 seed Endicott (22-5) and the #3 seed Eastern Nazarene (22-5) featured two of the top scorers in the conference in Gulls sophomore guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) and Lions junior guard Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.). Neither player would disappoint in the CCC Semifinal showdown with Owens (28 points) knocking down a clutch three-pointer with 22 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and Walker (career-high 32 points) scoring 11 of his team's 21 overtime points to seal an Endicott win.

With under a minute to go in the second half and Endicott leading 64-63 and with possession, Gulls sophomore forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) hauled in one of his three offensive rebounds after a missed three-pointer and laid in a put back to give the Blue and Green a three-point lead. Just seconds later, Owens would bury his game-tying three with 22 seconds on the clock from well beyond the three-point line.

Walker would take a chance to delivering the game-winning shot on a baseline drive, but his layup rimmed out and fell in the hands of a Lions rebounder. Eastern Nazarene raced down the other end of the court with five seconds to go as Owens found teammate Eric Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) who went hard to the rim but couldn't get his contested layup to fall.

In the overtime period, Walker's 11 points were crucial but before he contributed offensively it was a pair of three-point field goals by senior captain Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) and sophomore guard Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) that shifted momentum severely in Endicott's favor. Makris, a 43% three-point shooter on the season, never hesitated after receiving a bounce pass in the corner from Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) to put Endicott ahead 69-66 early in overtime. Sawyer's deep ball came moments after checking into the game to turn a three-point lead into six with 2:34 on the clock.

Walker took over the extra period from there on out, making two layups and going 7-of-8 at the free throw line. Eastern Nazarene continued to battle with under a minute to go as the Lions pulled to within four at 84-80 after Owens converted three free throws after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt. After Walker missed the second of two free throws, Owens broke down the court for a quick layup but he missed and Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) collected the rebound, made the outlet pass to Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.), who found Sawyer for a runaway layup to cap off the scoring at 87-80 Endicott.

Walker's career-best point total came on 10-of-22 shooting overall, 3-of-8 from three-point range, and a critical 9-of-13 at the free throw line. He also totaled eight rebounds, also a career-high, three assists and a steal.

Sampson came up big for the Gulls recording his first double-double since February 3^rd with a 15-point, 10-rebound game. Sampson also had two of Endicott's five blocks as well as an assist. Makris was Endicott's only other player in double figures with 10 points, five rebounds, a block, and an assist off the bench. He now needs just one rebound to join Endicott's 1,000-point, 500-rebound club.

Owens' team-high 28 points came on 8-of-27 from the field including 3-of-9 from three-point range and 9-of-10 at the charity stripe. He added six rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Lynch and senior forward Alex Jarman (Portsmout, R.I.) each scored 14 points apiece in starting roles and sophomore guard Christian Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) netted 14 off the bench with three steals.

Jarman was unstoppable on the boards with 25 caroms, four offensive and 21 on the defensive glass. He blocked six shots and dished two dimes but causing just one personal foul. He was 7-of-11 from the field but struggled at the line going 0-for-7.

Endicott shot 39% as a team overall, 33% (10-of-30) from long range, and 70% (21-of-30) at the free throw line. Eastern Nazarene hit 38% of their shots but just 29% (6-of-21) from three-point land, and 53% (18-of-34) at the line. Endicott's largest lead (nine points) came at the 0:54 mark of the overtime period while Eastern Nazarene held a seven point lead (43-36) with 13:13 left in the second half before the Gulls stormed back to take the lead with a 15-5 run.

Endicott's last trip to the CCC Championship was in the 2011-12 season, freshman year for this season's senior class, as the Gulls defeated Salve Regina on the road 90-66 to advance into the NCAA Tournament. Wentworth will be making their first CCC title appearance since the 2010-11 season when they lost by 10 to Salve Regina.

The Gulls won both regular season games against Wentworth in 2014-15, capturing a 63-54 home victory on January 20^th and a 79-70 win on the road on February 17^th. Endicott is 21-8 against Wentworth and 2-1 all-time against the Leopards in the playoffs.