MIDDLETOWN, Conn.- Junior forward Daquan Sampson's (Jacksonville, N.C.) double-double wasn't enough as the Endicott men's basketball team fell to Lyndon St., 87-81, in the Herb Kenny Tip-Off Classic Championship game Saturday afternoon Silloway Gymnasium at Wesleyan University.
With the loss, the Gulls move to 2-2 (0-0 CCC) to start the year, while the Hornets improved to 2-1 (0-0 NAC) on the season.
Lyndon St. took a 45-35 lead into the break and never relinquished control as the Gulls pulled to within 78-76 with 1:57 remaining but Lyndon St. shut the door.
The Hornets out-rebounded the Gulls, 39-36, and shot 43.8 percent from the floor compared to Endicott's 44.6 percent in the game.
Lyndon St. sank 13 buckets from three-point range to the Gulls' eight and benefited from 40 bench points.
Junior guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) led all scorers with 25 points, as he was 7-of-17 shooting, 1-of-6 from beyond the arc and 10-of-15 at the free throw line.
Walker and Sampson were both named to the All-Tournament team.
BEYOND THE BOX
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Sampson paced the field with 12 boards to go with 17 points and four blocks to turn in his first double-double of the season (10th career).
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Junior guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) tallied 18 points with two assists and four rebounds.
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Walker and Motroni have recorded double-digit points in all of the Gulls' four games this season.
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Walker eclipsed 100 points on the season tonight (123 total) in just four games (career-best).
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Junior guard Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) added 11 points off the bench as Endicott had at least four players in double figures for the second game in a row and third overall.
FOR THE FOES
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Freshman guard Gabriel Torres (Woodland, Calif.) exploded for 24 points off the bench, hitting 7-of-9 from long distance and was named to the All-Tournament team along with Colbert.
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Junior forward Xavier Colbert (Manassas, Va.) and sophomore guard Raymond Monroe (Cranston, R.I.) chipped in 14 and 11 points, respectively, for the Hornets.
NOTES
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The Gulls are 1-1 all-time against Lyndon St., as the Gulls defeated the Hornets 94-80 at home in the previous meeting on Dec. 10, 1996 before several of the current Gulls were even born.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Gulls (2-2) are off until they open CCC play on the road at Nichols (3-1) in Dudley, Mass. on Wednesday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m. Lyndon St. (2-1) travels to Plymouth St. on December 3 for a non-conference tip-off at 7:30 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
