BEVERLY, Mass. – Behind a 35-point performance from junior guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.), the Endicott men's basketball team defeated Salve Regina University by a 93-78 score on Tuesday night inside MacDonald Gymnasium.
Walker shot 10-of-16 from the floor, 3-of-8 from long range, and a perfect 12-for-12 at the free throw line to lead the Gulls to their second Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) victory of the season (2-1).
Junior guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) chipped in with 19 points, while classmate Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) rounded out the list of double-digit scorers for Endicott with ten points alongside four assists, and a steal.
The Gulls jumped out to a 23-13 advantage at the 8:49 mark of the first half as Sampson and Matroni fueled the run with ten and nine points, respectively. Endicott went to outscore Salve Regina 16-13 for the remainder of the half to take a 39-26 lead into the break.
In the second half, Endicott led by as many as 19 points (53-34, 16:07), before Salve Regina's David Hanson (Stockton, England) made the contest interesting as the senior guard scored 12 points – including a trio of three-pointers – to help cut the deficit to nine (78-69) with 2:43 remaining.
Walker answered for the Gulls with a trey at the 2:20 mark to move the gap on the scoreboard back to double-digits and the hosts never looked back.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott is now 18-13 against Salve Regina in the all-time series that dates back to 1994.
- The Gulls shot 41.4-percent from beyond the arc (12-for-29), their second-highest percentage this season.
- Walker has now scored 30 or more points in two games this season (47 versus Keene State on November 15).
FOR THE FOES
- Hanson finished with a team-high 26 points on 9-for-16 shooting (4-for-8 3PT, 4-for-5 FT).
- Nicholas Bates (Danvers, Mass.) contributed 16 points, nine rebounds, and three assists in the loss.
- Bryce Boggs (Hyde Park, Mass.) had ten points, eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (4-3, 2-1 CCC) plays Salem State on Tuesday, December 29 in the Salem State Holiday Tournament at 8 p.m. Salve Regina (4-4, 1-2) takes on New York University (NYU) in the NYU Tournament on Saturday, January 2 at 12 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
